WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam has admitted he has mixed feelings about never getting the chance to face John Cena one final time before the 17-time world champion retired.
John Cena brought his in-ring career to an end last year, losing to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, 2025. Although he faced several of WWE’s biggest stars during his farewell tour, Rob Van Dam was not among them despite reports that a match had been discussed.
Speaking to Denise Salcedo, Van Dam confirmed an injury prevented the bout from taking place.
“Yeah. So, bittersweet, but it was cool being there, though, and getting, of course, the loudest reaction of the whole night.”
While he missed out on sharing the ring with Cena one last time, Van Dam did appear at Saturday Night’s Main Event to watch the final match of Cena’s career.
Rumours of a farewell match between the two surfaced during Cena’s retirement tour, but the plans never came to fruition after Van Dam suffered an injury.
Rob Van Dam Is Still Active In Wrestling At 55-Years-Old
Although John Cena has now retired from in-ring competition, Rob Van Dam continues to wrestle. The 55-year-old’s most recent match came in April when he competed at JCW’s Strangle-Mania: Viva Las Violence event.
During his retirement tour, Cena faced several of his most memorable rivals, including Randy Orton, CM Punk and Brock Lesnar, before bringing his career to a close.
