Jim Ross Addresses Whether WWE Reached Out to Him for John Cena’s Farewell

Jim Ross made it clear—WWE never asked him to be part of John Cena’s farewell, and he’s not pretending otherwise.

During a new episode of Grilling JR, Conrad Thompson asked JR directly if WWE reached out to him ahead of Cena’s final match. Without flinching, Ross gave his answer.

“No. Are you kidding? Why would they do that? It’s wrestling. I don’t work for them.”

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t have helped if asked. In fact, JR said he would’ve jumped at the opportunity—if anyone at WWE had made the call.

“I would’ve been happy to do it. And I’m sure that if they had requested something, Tony Khan would have blessed it because he’s a wrestling fan… If they thought I could help out a little bit, I’d love to be a part of it.”

Ross isn’t just another voice with an opinion—he personally recruited Cena while he was still training at Rick Bassman’s UPW school in California. He remembered scouting him, watching his growth, and seeing firsthand what made him stand out.

“John Cena was one of my guys recruiting. He worked his ass off… He was reliable. Golly, he was reliable.”

He also spoke about the jealousy Cena faced from his peers early on, but said the future WWE legend pushed through it all and became one of the company’s most dependable stars.

Despite all that, WWE didn’t reach out to one of the most important voices behind Cena’s rise. Ross wasn’t bitter, but the message was clear—they never asked, and that was their decision.

Should WWE have contacted Jim Ross to be part of John Cena’s farewell? Was it a missed opportunity or just the reality of modern wrestling politics? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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