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Friday Night's Episode Of WWE SmackDown Could Be A Monumental One For John Cena

The 'Greatest of All-Time' could be gracing SmackDown for the final time in his WWE career.
Rick Ucchino|
John Cena
John Cena | WWE

Friday night might turn out to be a special one in the career of John Cena.

The Never Seen 17-Time World Champion is set to appear on the September 5 edition of WWE SmackDown, which is being held at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

Over 16,000 fans have already purchased tickets to bare witness to one of the last remaining dates in John Cena's career, and perhaps, his final appearance ever on an episode of SmackDown. This according to insider X account WrestleVotes.

"We’re told some within WWE are quietly expecting tomorrow night to be John Cena’s final SmackDown. According to a source, with only seven remaining dates left—and just two yet to be announced—it’s unlikely another will be a SmackDown event, meaning Cena will have debuted and ended his run on the blue brand in the very same building, Chicago’s Allstate Arena."
WrestleVotes on X

It would be a rather serendipitous ending to Cena's SmackDown tenure if it were to come to a close in the Windy City. The only question is whether or not it will be a happy ending.

Brock Lesnar has been completely absent from WWE programming since his surprise return at SummerSlam, and if the plan is for these two men to throw down later this month, having The Beast make his next move Friday in Chicago would make a ton sense.

John Cena has limited remaining dates on his retirement tour

John Cena vs. Logan Paul
John Cena vs. Logan Paul | WWE

John Cena is coming off a win over Logan Paul at Clash in Paris, and while he has not yet been announced for the company's next Premium Live Event, it is widely expected that the future WWE Hall of Famer will be in action at Wrestlepalooza against Brock Lesnar. Part of a stacked card for the big ESPN DTC on Saturday, September 20.

Following his appearance in Chicago on Friday, Cena is currently scheduled to be in Springfield, Massachusetts for Monday Night Raw on September 15, in Perth, Australia for Crown Jewel on October 11, and in San Diego, California for Survivor Series: WarGames on November 29.

It has not yet been announced by WWE, but Cena's retirement match has been rumored to be taking place in his hometown of Boston, which is expected to be the host city for Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13. 

As of this writing, only the date for that live special on Peacock has been confirmed.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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