John Cena, a 17-time WWE World Champion, responded to a tribute from AEW World Champion Samoa Joe during the December 10th Dynamite: Winter is Coming event. Samoa Joe successfully defended his AEW World Championship against Eddie Kingston in his first title defense in Imabari and honored Cena by performing the STF submission hold, which Cena famously used, before saluting the audience. Cena acknowledged this tribute on Instagram by sharing a photo of Joe’s salute, though he did not add a caption.
Cena and Joe have a history stretching back to their training days at Ultimate Pro Wrestling in the early 2000s and faced each other several times in WWE in 2017, including at Survivor Series where Cena was part of Team SmackDown and Joe represented Team Raw. Cena’s final match is scheduled for December 13th against Gunther in the main event of Saturday Night.
For ongoing updates on Cena’s career and his retirement match, fans are invited to follow the latest news through relevant wrestling coverage.
Fan Take: This moment of mutual respect between John Cena and Samoa Joe highlights the deep connections that transcend wrestling promotions, enriching the storylines for fans of both WWE and AEW. Cena’s recognition of Joe’s tribute not only bridges the gap between the two worlds but also elevates the prestige of AEW, signaling exciting possibilities for the future of professional wrestling.
