WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff recently discussed the John Cena farewell tour, focusing on the much-anticipated John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar match at Wrestlepalooza, during his 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff emphasized that the success of Cena’s entire farewell storyline hinges on WWE’s direction following this match, with the upcoming December 13 event in Washington, D.C., at Saturday Night’s Main Event set to be Cena’s final performance.
Eric Bischoff Highlights Importance of Future Storytelling
Bischoff explained that if WWE continues with a narrative where Cena faces Lesnar in his final match and ultimately achieves victory, it would be a redemption arc that resonates deeply with fans.
“If the story going forward is as you previously laid out, and this ends up with John and Brock in John’s final match, and John finally overcomes, it’s a redemption story,”
Bischoff said. He added,
“I love redemption stories, they always work for me. If it’s a Disney redemption story, I’ll actually shed a tear or two. If there’s a dog involved, I’ll be a bawling idiot. So, I hope that that is the case. If it’s not the case, and it was just what they did that night, that would be worrisome to me. If it’s part of a story, I think it’d be a great story, because redemptions always work. If it wasn’t part of the story and it was, ‘Well, here’s what we’re going to do tonight, and why?’ Ennh, not good. But we’ll find out,”
he explained.
Bischoff’s Overall Grade for Cena’s Retirement Tour
While Bischoff sees potential in the storyline’s future, he offered a guarded evaluation of the farewell tour to date, assigning it a “C” grade. “I’d give it a C,” Bischoff admitted. He clarified,
“Now, if you take the heel turn or whatever that was, take that out and just look at the rest of it, probably a B, maybe an A- or a B. It’s been pretty good, except for the way it started. Just give everybody what they want, to see the guy go out on top. Everybody would love to see Babe Ruth hit his last home run. Nobody wants to see Babe Ruth strike out. Know what I mean? If you could go back in time. How many people would say, ‘I want to go back in time. I want to be there when Babe Ruth grabs his last at bat, but I want to see him strike out.’ No. Same thing here.”
Anticipation Builds as Farewell Tour Nears Final Match
John Cena’s farewell run has captured considerable attention as it approaches its conclusion on December 13 in Washington, D.C., during Saturday Night’s Main Event. Whether WWE will pursue the redemptive storyline Bischoff hopes for remains uncertain, but the outcome of the Wrestlepalooza match and the storyline’s continuation will likely determine how Cena’s retirement is remembered.
