John Cena’s Retirement Match Fuels WWE History for Highest-Grossing Arena Event Ever

A lot of WWE fans spent a pretty penny to say goodbye to John Cena in person.

Chief content officer Triple H said Saturday Night’s Main Event was the highest-grossing arena show ever for both WWE and the venue, Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

Raw’s Netflix debut in January at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome held the previous mark.

From the moment Cena first announced his farewell tour in July 2024, each of his appearances carried an added significance. He and WWE were also very purposeful in how he was utilized, and his limited number of remaining dates was often referenced.

By August, it became clear when and where Cena would be stepping into the ring for the final time. There was ample time to hype up Saturday Night’s Main Event and give it the historical importance it demanded.

Having the 17-time world champion tap out to Gunther was a divisive choice based on the immediate reaction. Chants of “bulls–t” were audible after the finish, and Triple H got booed as he walked to the ring.

But Cena helped Gunther look like an even bigger star, so the night was a success from that standpoint.

Between that and the gate, WWE had a lot of reasons to be happy with how SNME unfolded.