John Cena announcing the end of his iconic in-ring run in 2025 has led to speculation running wild among WWE fans as to what his retirement tour will entail exactly.

Although he initially teased winding down on the road to WrestleMania 41, he later clarified during the Money in the Bank 2024 post-show press conference that he intends to wrestle for the majority of the year, culminating in December.

From Randy Orton and CM Punk to Gunther and Bron Breakker, there's no shortage of opponents for him to mix it up with during his last year of active competition. The main question fans have been pondering is whether he'll chase the Undisputed WWE Championship one last time before calling it a career.

Cena tied Ric Flair's record—at least the one touted by WWE—of 16 world championships back in January 2017 but has yet to break it. He'll have an entire year to attempt to do so, despite never once declaring that as his ultimate goal while announcing his pending retirement.

For all the positives a potential title run for Cena in 2025 could have, there are drawbacks fans must consider as well.

Pro: First Title Run in Seven Years

For someone who was such a mainstay in WWE's main-event scene for over a decade, John Cena has largely stayed out of world championship contention in recent years.

As noted, Cena captured his record-setting 16th world title at 2017's Royal Rumble event. However, his "historic" reign was short-lived, as he quickly lost it inside the Elimination Chamber to Bray Wyatt two weeks later and failed to regain it on the subsequent SmackDown.

Upon transitioning to part-time status, Cena rarely set his sights on the prestigious prize whenever he returned. Since January 2017, he has unsuccessfully challenged for a world title only twice: at Fastlane 2018 and at SummerSlam 2021.

In fact, he hasn't held gold of any kind in seven years. Fans were sick of seeing Cena chasing titles during the peak of his career, but it's been long enough that he'd be a fresh face on top if he were to win a world title for a final time.

If anything, it'd make for a fun nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Con: Retirement Tour Will Do Big Business Regardless

While not necessarily a "con," it is worth acknowledging that Cena as world champion arguably wouldn't have much of an effect on his retirement tour, which is guaranteed to do big business for WWE, regardless.

Regardless of whether Cena is Undisputed WWE champion or not, he will still sell out buildings and do astronomical merchandise numbers because him wrestling his final matches is the draw, not who he's facing or what's on the line.

Chasing a championship would certainly make his story much more interesting, but Cena is a certified attraction no matter the circumstance he finds himself in. Therefore, the world titles on Raw and SmackDown can be used to elevate other talent and not be wasted in matches that are already high-profile.

It's why Cena has been absent from the world championship picture for so long: WWE's days of relying on him in that role as the face of the franchise ended almost a decade ago. His matches have a must-see vibe to them because of the caliber of star he's become.

There are other stories WWE can tell with Cena during his last hurrah, even though it's the most obvious one.

Pro: Making History on His Way Out to Cement GOAT Status

WWE started touting John Cena as "the greatest of all-time" a few years into his part-time run, and although that title is definitely debatable, there's no denying he is in that conversation considering everything he's accomplished over the course of his career.

Other than becoming a Triple Crown champion (which would require him to clinch the Intercontinental title) and winning his third Royal Rumble match, there isn't much more he can do to cement himself as the company's one true GOAT.

That is, of course, unless he can break Ric Flair's aforementioned record of 16 world titles.

If WWE wants to go all out for this Cena retirement tour and make it feel as important as possible, it should include the Undisputed WWE Championship. He has more than earned the right to be the one to win more world titles than anyone else in WWE history.

Cena is bound to break records on his way as it is: attendance, viewership and merchandise will all see an increase with Cena being back for most of 2025. Why not break one more record to further establish his status as a living legend?

Con: "Big Match John" Is No More

As part of his polarizing relationship with the audience, Cena's wrestling ability was heavily scrutinized and criticized during his first few years on top. He went on to prove many of his naysayers wrong by contesting classics with Shawn Michaels, Triple H and CM Punk, among others.

He then earned the nickname of "Big Match John" when he held weekly open challenges for the United States Championship on Raw throughout 2015. Every one of his matches at that time delivered a consistent quality.

He never ceased to bring out the best in his opponents whenever the lights were on bright. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case with Cena in quite a while.

Due to his matches becoming more infrequent in the last five years, they've started to follow a formula and haven't been anything out of the ordinary. That was evident in his encounters with Austin Theory and Solo Sikoa in 2023.

If Cena can't rise to that level anymore, he shouldn't be expected to have a run as world champion, if at all. Making it a quick run is possible, but it's unknown how much he'll actually be able to do in his upcoming matches and whether it'd be worth it to regularly feature him in main-event matches.

Pro: Saving the Title Win for Final Match

WWE can make the most of Cena's retirement tour by indeed revolving it around the chase for that elusive 17th world title run and dragging it out for the entire year with his last match ever being for the belt.

This way, he isn't occupying the main-event scene for more than a few months and can spend the latter half of 2025 racking up enough wins to earn himself an opportunity at the title.

Cena's in-ring swan song will be special no matter what, but the possibility of him retiring as Undisputed WWE champion would be extra appealing, similar to what AEW did with Sting at Revolution 2024.

If Cena loses, he'll have endorsed whoever the champ is by December 2025, but if he emerges victorious, he'll make history and go out on top, a rarity in the wrestling business.

The timing couldn't be better with the 2026 Royal Rumble event right around the corner, which could be where WWE crowns a new champion via the men's Rumble match. It was an amazing idea when the company first did it in 1992 and it'd be only fitting to do again on the heels of Cena's monumental achievement and unforgettable finale.