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WWE Granted Request Made By John Cena For Saturday Night's Main Event

The 'Greatest of All-Time' is true to his word when he says he wants to leave WWE in a better spot than when he arrived over two decades ago.
Rick Ucchino|
John Cena
John Cena | WWE

Just over a month remains until John Cena faces the winner of 'The Last Time is Now' Tournament at Saturday Night's Main Event, and while millions of people will be tuning in specifically to watch his retirement bout, Cena himself reportedly played a key role in putting together the rest of the card for that night.

The 'Greatest of All-Time' made his final appearance at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts Monday night on Raw, and delivered a truly memorable night for his hometown fans.

Cena defeated Dominik Mysterio in the show's opening contest to capture the Men's Intercontinental Championship, but it was the announcement he made moments before Dirty Dom interrupted his farewell address to Beantown that could have a longer lasting impact on WWE than John becoming a Grand Slam Champion.

In addition to his final match taking place at Saturday Night's Main Event, which very well could be with the Intercontinental Title on the line, Cena announced Monday that a series of exhibition matches will be booked at the Capital One Arena on December 13.

Those matches will feature main roster WWE Superstars going up against some of the bright young stars of NXT, giving the future of the business a chance to shine on a night when its most decorated competitor calls it a career.

Both the Wrestling Observer and BodySlam are now reporting that these exhibition matches stem from a pitch that was made by Cena himself. The suggestion came on the heels of him getting to spend time at the WWE Performance Center, where he had the opportunity to work with a number of NXT talent directly.

John Cena's time is nearly up

John Cena
John Cena | WWE

"Bryan Alvarez noted that this was a John Cena call and sources confirmed to BodySlam that Cena indeed pitched the idea to WWE brass," the folks at BodySlam said in their report Monday morning. "Cena enjoyed everything about his time visiting the Performance Center and wanted to give talent a chance to be showcased and leave the business in a better place on his way out."

No members of the NXT roster have been announced for the show, as of this writing, but some names that could potentially be under consideration include NXT Champion's Ricky Saints and Tatum Paxley, as well as former champions Oba Femi and Jacy Jayne. Not to mention Je'Von Evans.

The impressive 21-year-old has already been announced as a competitor in 'The Last Time is Now' Tournament. He'll face former World Heavyweight Champion Gunther in an opening round match next Monday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. It's the latest opportunity for Evans to showcase his skills against a seasoned veteran of WWE, having already faced Randy Orton and Sami Zayn in the past.

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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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