John Cena Says Final Match With GUNTHER Included Subtle Career Callback – John Cena has revealed that his final wrestling match against GUNTHER included a quiet nod to the earliest chapter of his career. Speaking on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, Cena explained that he altered his appearance to reflect his “Prototype” persona from his days in Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Cena said he grew his hair out to resemble the look he had before arriving on the main stage. While he could not dye it due to outside filming commitments, he adjusted the fade and length to echo that original presentation.

“There’s so many easter eggs that people don’t know about, to the point of, like, even in the match against Gunther, I tried to grow my hair out, like the prototype from UPW, like an OVW… I couldn’t dye it because I was working in between stuff, but I could grow, fade it and grow it long so I can have, like, that, come back,” Cena explained.

The match took place during a December 2025 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event. Cena admitted that most viewers did not recognize the reference, but that was never the goal. He described the decision as a personal detail meant to symbolize closure.

“Nobody caught that, but nobody’s supposed to. I was just doing it for like, man, if you get it, get it. Yeah, I wanted the year to be, like, a cycle of life, someone facing their mortality,” Cena stated.

After losing to GUNTHER, Cena officially stepped away from in-ring competition. He left his sneakers and wristbands in the center of the ring as a symbolic farewell. The 17-time world champion has since shifted his focus fully to Hollywood, with multiple projects in development for major streaming platforms, including Netflix and Apple TV.

Cena’s final year featured several layered callbacks, but the Prototype-inspired look served as a subtle reminder of where his journey began before he became one of WWE’s most recognized stars.

John Cena Says Final Match With GUNTHER Included Subtle Career Callback

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