John Cena’s WWE Farewell Called a Missed Opportunity Due to Poor Creative Planning

Vince Russo is tearing into WWE over how the company has handled John Cena’s retirement run, calling it a complete creative failure and saying one of the biggest stars in wrestling history was turned into an afterthought.

Speaking on Minus7 Sports, Russo was asked what he’s enjoyed about Cena’s farewell stretch. His response was immediate and blunt, making it clear he believes WWE squandered a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

“Bro, it sucked. There’s nothing to enjoy.”

Russo explained that he initially tried to give WWE the benefit of the doubt, pointing to moments where it appeared the creative direction was aligned behind the scenes. However, he said that unity quickly collapsed when plans involving The Rock reportedly fell apart.

“When you watch that Unreal series on Netflix, there was a point where everybody was on the same page. You saw it when Triple H and Rock were going over the promo. Everybody was on the same page. Then, bro, behind the scenes, creatively, something drastically went wrong.”

According to Russo, the issue wasn’t just a creative disagreement — it was WWE’s inability to adjust once their original plan unraveled.

“I think Rock wanted to do things a certain way, and they poo-pooed Rock again. At that point, I think Rock checked out and said, ‘Go do what you want to do and die on the vine yourselves.’ And that’s the problem, bro. When plan A dies, you’ve got to pivot. They had no plan B. An absolute horror show.”

Russo said the lack of preparation is especially unforgivable considering how much advance notice WWE had.

“Freaking Cena gave them a year’s notice. A year’s notice, bro. They had a year to plot that whole thing out. Stuff’s gonna happen, I get that. But when it does, you’ve got to pivot.”

Instead, Russo argued that WWE made Cena’s final run confusing and inconsistent, even pointing to abrupt character shifts that made little sense.

“The first pivot was Cena cutting a promo going from heel to babyface. That made absolutely no sense. You can’t do things that way, man.”

For Russo, the clearest sign that WWE dropped the ball came when Cena was placed in a multi-man match late in his farewell run — including at Madison Square Garden.

“When you’re at Madison Square Garden and he only has two matches left and you put the guy in a six-man, he’s an afterthought now, bro. He literally is an afterthought.”

Russo said Cena’s retirement should have been the centerpiece of WWE programming, not just another segment on the card.

“Every single one of these shows should have revolved around John Cena. How does John Cena become an afterthought? Come on, bro.”

With Cena winding down his in-ring career, Russo’s comments are likely to spark debate about whether WWE honored its most recognizable star properly — or let poor planning derail what should have been a defining moment in company history.

Do you agree with Vince Russo’s assessment of John Cena’s retirement run, or do you think WWE handled it just fine? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts.

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