John Cena had a quick response ready after getting name-checked, well, gesture-checked, by Samoa Joe on AEW television this week.
The closing moments of AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming on December 10 featured Joe defending the AEW World Championship against Eddie Kingston. During the match, Joe trapped Kingston in an STF, stared directly into the camera, and fired off a very familiar salute. He never said Cena’s name, but the message was unmistakable as Cena’s retirement bout draws closer.
Cena returned the nod early this morning, posting a screenshot of Joe’s salute on Instagram.
As always, Cena provided zero caption or explanation, sticking to his long-running tradition of letting the images speak for themselves.
It was a subtle exchange, but one layered with history.
Both men came up through Rick Bassman’s UPW system in California before carving out dramatically different but equally respected paths. Cena became one of WWE’s defining stars, while Joe built a celebrated career across ROH, TNA, WWE, and now AEW.
And like many top names of their era, both have made successful transitions into Hollywood roles outside the ring.
Cena now heads into the final match of his in-ring career this weekend, when he faces Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Also advertised for the 12/13 show are Cody Rhodes vs. Oba Femi, Bayley vs. Sol Ruca, as well as AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater.
For those who missed this week’s AEW show, fear not, as you can check out our complete AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming Results 12/10/25 here at WrestlingHeadlines.com.
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What a beautiful tribute from Samoa Joe to John Cena 🥹❤️#ThankYouCena pic.twitter.com/EGUVPV1jWO
— Wrestling Pics & Clips (@WrestleClips) December 11, 2025
