John Cena has spent nearly 25 years mastering control inside a WWE ring. Yet during a chaotic live Netflix broadcast late in his farewell run, Cena did something entirely different. He stepped off script. The incident stunned WWE officials and left fans witnessing a rare, unscripted moment from one of wrestling’s most disciplined performers.As Cena approaches his final match against Gunther in Washington, DC That made this moment stand out even more. Amid his retirement tour Cena has delivered several stunning moments. It has certainly been a year dedicated to his global WWE fans.
John Cena off-script moment caught WWE officials by surprise
The moment unfolded during John Cena’s match with AJ Styles at Crown Jewel in Perth, broadcast globally on Netflix. Before the action began, Cena flipped expectations during ring introductions. Instead of soaking in the spotlight, he handed announcer Alicia Taylor a handwritten tribute to Styles which was filled with references to his rival’s career. The crowd erupted.Backstage, the reaction was different. Cena later admitted he acted alone, without approval, and immediately felt the weight of that decision.“I just wanted to do something nice for my guy,” Cena explained. “I didn’t even show Alicia until I handed her the paper.“I went about it the wrong way. I went into business for myself. I should have gotten permission to do that. And I would have gotten permission to do that, but I told no one about it because I wanted to do something special.
“And in doing so, the people running the show felt surprised. And that’s not a position I ever want to put them in because they award me such creative liberty. We’re all trying to make these moments special and we’re all on the same team. And it shouldn’t be me doing something outside of that realm.“If I tell my teammates: ‘Hey, let’s do it.’ I can keep it from AJ, I can keep it from Alicia, but if I tell my teammates who are crafting this show, maybe they make it look better.”Cena said he immediately apologized backstage.“The second thing I did was pull a few creative individuals aside and say: ‘I’m sorry, that will never happen again. I know where I f*** up. I’m so sorry.“I went into business for myself. That’s not me. I hope you look at my body of work and all the times I’ve asked for permission. And this is the one time I asked for forgiveness.“It got the best of me, but I wanted to do something nice for AJ.”
John Cena retirement run reaches an emotional peak
At 48, Cena is nearing the end of a career that includes nearly 2,500 matches, 17 world titles, and a legacy shaped by consistency. WWE has already honored him with a tribute video featuring stars across generations.Cena insists his bout with Gunther will be his final match. Whether he wins or passes the torch, his influence is secure. This off-script moment did not damage that legacy. Also Read: ‘It means the world’: John Cena responds to emotional WWE tribute video ahead of final match at Saturday Night Main Event
