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As WWE heads into the busy end of 2025, the road continued with an episode of WWE Raw in Boston, with one of the best wrestling crowds of the year supporting a star-studded evening that included John Cena’s final appearance in the city, multiple title matches and the quick build to an action-packed Survivor Series with WarGames.
The tournament to determine Cena’s final opponent also continued to unfold, with more participants being revealed throughout the night.
What happened in this episode? Let’s take a look:
John Cena’s time is (still) now
While Boston once seemed like the ideal place for John Cena to end his WWE in-ring career, that turned out not to be the case. Still, he got one last moment in his neighboring hometown, where the crowd went wild after a long, meandering introduction from Triple H that eventually gave way to Cena’s entrance.
It’s always special to see these Cena reactions, especially knowing we don’t have many left. This one felt different, like the moment it really started to sink in that this is the end. Boston has been one of Cena’s most beloved places for 20 years, and this was the last time he got that kind of reaction as an in-ring performer.
Cena’s promo wasn’t just crowd-pleasing nostalgia. He announced that his final match on Saturday Night’s Main Event will serve as a showcase, pitting main roster talent against NXT stars. That’s a prime opportunity for the likes of Oba Femi and Trick Williams to gain exposure in starring roles ahead of their eventual call-up. It could have been the same for Je’Von Evans, and maybe it still will be, but Evans already has a moment coming up on WWE Raw at Madison Square Garden on November 17, where he will face a returning Gunther in the Last Time Is Now tournament. Even putting aside the tournament implications, this is an incredible match for Raw, let alone any show.
Back to Cena, tonight was about checking off one of the few remaining boxes in his storied WWE career: becoming a Grand Slam champion by winning the Intercontinental Championship.
Pairing Cena with Dominik Mysterio felt like a perfect late-career match, pitting a legend of his era against one of WWE’s best young stars. While Mysterio continues to show a tendency to become an Eddie Guerrero-style babyface, he brought back that trademark nuclear heat for one night, because there was no way Cena was going to get booed in Boston, and not this time.
This all made for the perfect recipe for a feel-good Cena win. It also didn’t hurt Mysterio, who appears headed for another clash with his father, Rey Mysterio, possibly at Survivor Series in San Diego for the AAA Mega Championship. For Cena, he can defend the title next week at MSG, perhaps again at Survivor Series, before ultimately facing the winner of his final opponent tournament on Saturday Night’s Main Event with the title on the line.
Get it straight. It all makes sense.
Both WarGames matches lack depth
The concept of WarGames is fine and fun, and it will almost certainly create excitement at Survivor Series. But like any gimmick wrestling match, a strong story helps give it meaning, making it feel like more than just a spectacle.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much narrative weight behind the men’s or women’s WarGames matches this year. Both feel somewhat rushed and jumbled. The men’s battle revolves around Logan Paul being inducted into The Vision following Seth Rollins’ injury, but the group has strangely lost steam and failed to build on their early momentum after the turn. The women’s match faces similar issues, relying on loose storylines to justify the setup rather than a cohesive, emotionally driven feud.
WarGames will undoubtedly provide in-ring mayhem and highlights, but without stronger storytelling it risks feeling like it’s just a great concept in search of a raison d’être.
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