Carmelo Hayes is the right name to retire John Cena

John Cena is set to retire in 2025. But hold your tears. There’s a whole farewell tour planned for the new year, with plenty of action for Cena in the WWE before he hangs up the jorts. While many fans hope to see him capture a WWE Championship one more time to take the overall record, there’s another question on the horizon. Who is the man that will retire Cena? When looking at the current roster, there are a lot of ways WWE could go. Yet, it would be best for the company to give a younger performer that moment. If that’s the case, the moment should go to Carmelo Hayes.

Booking John Cena’s final run is going to be something interesting to experience. There are so many ways the situation could go. Many expect him to win the 2025 Royal Rumble. It would be quite the moment to see him pull it off, as the victory would slot him right into the main event at WrestleMania 41. That would be the perfect stage to see him win the WWE Championship on one of those two nights. Does he defeat Cody Rhodes? Or topple someone like Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, or perhaps Gunther to capture that title? Yet another question whose answer is wide open on this day.

Still, if Cena does capture that championship, he’ll lose it at some point. December 31, 2025, is his last night as an active performer. Someone will have to take it off him along the way. Imagine if that moment went to Hayes. Some will argue that it is “too soon” for Hayes to even be considered for a championship run, but this doesn’t have to be the major order that some think it must be. Hayes could get the win and immediately lose the title at some point, playing into his inexperience in the position.

But back to the idea of Hayes being the one to defeat Cena. Hayes is the right performer to take that momentum and run with it. WWE attempted to give both Solo Sikoa and Austin Theory some shine with wins over Cena, but neither were able to truly build off those moments. They don’t feel like bigger stars at all. Hayes wouldn’t make that mistake. He’s done well with every moment given to him since stepping foot in WWE NXT. This is why he’s one of the young names fans are watching closely for the future. Giving him the honor of retiring Cena would launch him into the next phase of his career.

Someone is going to end John Cena’s career. Who will be the one to do it? Our vote goes to Carmelo Hayes, who would take that moment and build a legacy that would be worthy of the honor.