John Cena was involved in a heartwarming segment with Sheamus as the 17-time world champion made his 545th and final WWE Raw appearance at a sold-out Madison Square Garden.
Cena, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, made his final RAW appearance on Monday night as he nears the end of his farewell tour.
The current WWE Intercontinental champion teamed up with Sheamus and Rey Mysterio in a six-man tag team match against The Judgement Day members Finn Balor, JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio.
It was an entertaining match-up from start to finish, but a so-called 'unscripted' moment involving Sheamus delivered one of the evening's most-talked-about moments.
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As seen in the footage below, Cena, Mysterio and Sheamus hit a triple “You Can’t See Me” before securing the win.
Sheamus was initially stood to Cena's right but before hitting the spot, he grabbed the 48-year-old's arm and dragged him into the middle of the ring – a gesture that was praised by many fans online.
One said: "This was something so simple and small but will probably go down in history as one of the coolest gestures in WWE history," while another wrote: "I was gonna say that was improvised. Sheamus is the ultimate pro."
A third commented: "Sheamus: Cena get in the middle your taking center stage."
A fourth said: "Sheamus moving John Cena to the middle of the shot was such a great touch, A TRUE PROFESSIONAL," and a fifth added: "John Cena, Sheamus, and Rey Mysterio doing each other’s wrestling moves on John’s last time on raw went so hard THIS MEANS SOMETHING TO ME."
Cena, who has wrestled part-time since 2018, will go head-to-head with his final ever opponent on December 13 at the Capital One Arena in Washington.
His opponent will be determined through a 16-person "The Last Time Is Now" tournament.
John Cena issued statement on 'speculation and rumours' surrounding retirement from WWE
Back in September, WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley claimed that Cena should extend his retirement tour to WrestleMania 42, giving him the chance to take on even more opponents.
Cena himself noted in an interview that he would not be able to come up against everyone that he would like during his final year as a wrestler.
But following WWE's announcement of his final match, however, Cena took to social media to state that he wants to be a person "whose word has value".
He wrote: "Despite any speculation or rumours, on July 6, 2024 I announced I would retire from WWE in ring participation. I am far from perfect but strive to be a person whose word has value. 12/13/25 will be my final match."
Cena added: "I am beyond grateful for every moment WWE has given me. I am excited for 12/13 & look forward to seeing all of you one last time."
Cena's penultimate appearance on his farewell tour will come at Survivor Series: WarGames on November 29. He will then make his final bow on December 13 at the Capital One Arena, which will no doubt be an emotional affair.
Jack Kenmare