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| John Cena making his official WWE television debut, June 27, 2002 |
John Cena retired on December 13, 2025, having wrestled more matches—and divided more audiences—than almost anyone in professional wrestling history. A record 17-time world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the defining figures of his era.
But none of that mattered on the June 27, 2002, network broadcast of WWE SmackDown!
That night, Cena had one job: survive five minutes with Kurt Angle.
With Cena’s career now complete, his official WWE television debut no longer feels like an introduction. It feels like a thesis statement—one neither the audience nor Cena himself could fully understand until the work was finished. He began his career with a loss, and he ended it the same way, spending the years in between carrying a company, shaping an era, and entertaining millions.
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