John Cena's Last Match Down Under: A Love Letter To Professional Wrestling

On the west coast of Australia, all eyes were on Perth’s RAC Arena as WWE’s top champions battled it out for their respective Crown Jewel titles. But wedged between it all, and the reason the arena was coated in yellow, was John Cena’s final international match against the phenomenal AJ Styles. Just the night before during the Crown Jewel Perth: Kick Off Show, Styles announced that 2026 would be the year he leaves his boots in the ring, marking the end of his in-ring career with WWE.

Whether you’re a diehard wrestling fan, a lapsed viewer, or someone who’s never quite understood this incredible form of entertainment, this match had everything you could want for their final encounter down under.

A jam-packed RAC Arena, with over 13,000 fans became a sea of yellow with the can’t-miss and highly sought-after John Cena “Last Time Is Now” Australia merchandise. But it didn’t stop there.
As Michael Cole said on commentary, the Aussie crowd was absolutely electric and refused to stay quiet throughout the match. From the eruption that greeted Cena’s entrance to the countless “This Is Awesome” and “Fight Forever” chants echoing through the night, the energy never faded.

You might ask what caused the Australian crowd to almost blow the roof off RAC Arena.
It was the work of two incredible performers paying tribute to those who paved the way before them, incorporating homages to wrestling legends throughout their emotional bout.

Here are just a few of the moments that sent the crowd wild:

• The Miz’s Skull Crushing Finale
  A throwback to Cena’s WrestleMania 27 showdown, where The Rock’s interference handed Miz the win.

• Rusev’s Accolade
  A nod to their heated, patriotic battle for the United States Championship into WrestleMania 31.

• Chris Jericho’s Walls of Jericho
  Who could forget their “Battle of the Bands” and early rivalry back in 2005.

• The Late, Great Bray Wyatt’s Sister Abigail
  There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Cena paid homage to a rival he battled through every chapter of Windham Rotunda’s career, from The Nexus and the Eater of Worlds to The Fiend. The fireflies shone bright once again in his memory.

• Christopher Daniels Angel’s Wings
  A tribute to one of AJ Styles’ earliest and fiercest rivals from their time in TNA’s six-sided ring.

• Randy Orton’s RKO, Drape DDT and Punt Kick
  Arguably Cena’s greatest WWE rival, with dozens of bouts between them, many for the WWE Championship itself.

• “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music
  A dream match that fans around the world have longed for since AJ Styles arrival in WWE.

• The Undertaker’s Chokeslam and Tombstone Piledriver
  A nod to the dream match that took years to materialize, and to the man who once gave Cena his seal of approval following his own iconic debut against Kurt Angle in 2002 on Smackdown.

Being inside RAC Arena to witness a match that will undoubtedly be spoken about for years to come was something truly special. If I were to show any non-fan what makes professional wrestling so impactful, this would be the match I’d choose.

Thank you, AJ Styles.

Thank you, John Cena.

image courtesy of wwe

image courtesy of wwe

image courtesy of wwe

image courtesy of wwe