John Cena is set to retire from the world of professional wrestling tonight at Saturday Night's Main Event. The Cenation Leader was on a retirement tour for the entire 2025, which was filled with nostalgic moments and matches. Many pro-wrestling icons paid their respect and tribute to the 17-time World Champion throughout the farewell tour this year.Many of John Cena's rivals who are now in AEW expressed their respect for The Franchise Player during their matches. While some stars openly performed their moves, some were subtle with their homage. Even AEW, which is WWE's top rival company, was also open to referencing The Cenation Leader during their shows. All in all, the entire world of pro-wrestling came together to share their respect to Mr. Hustle Loyalty & Respect one last time. In this article, let's take a look at 3 times John Cena has been referenced on AEW TV during his retirement tour:#3. Samoa Joe vs. Eddie Kingston at AEW Dynamite Winter Is ComingSamoa Joe never got the opportunity to feud with John Cena in WWE. The two stars were icons of their generations, and many fans wanted them to square off once on live TV. This week at AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming, Joe was defending his AEW World Championship against Eddie Kingston. AEW and Joe used this big stage as the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to The Cenation Leader.During the match, Joe clutched Kingston in an STF like John Cena. The Samoan Submission Machine then looked right into the camera to give a nod to the 17-time World Champion. He saluted with a smile as he had Eddie in the STF. Cena later went on to share the picture of that moment on his Instagram to acknowledge Joe's tribute in All Elite Wrestling.#2. Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. FTR at AEW All Out in TorontoAdam Copeland was one of the biggest rivals of John Cena in his career. Many fans wanted The Rated-R Superstar to be the final opponent of The Franchise Player. While that was not possible due to Copeland being signed with AEW, the Hall of Famer made sure he sent his regards to his former rival. At All Out in September, Cope paid tribute to Cena during his match with FTR.In the middle of the match, Edge laid out a back drop on Cash Wheeler. Then, The Rated-R Superstar performed Cena's iconic "You Can't See Me" gesture, which was followed by a 'Five-Star Knuckle Shuffle'. The crowd was electric and broke Cena chants during this moment. Cena also paid tribute to Edge by performing his 'Spear' during his match with Sami Zayn on SmackDown.#1. Mercedes Mone paid tribute to John Cena at AEW Dynamite 300 Mercedes Mone is a top star in AEW, and she did not shy away from paying her respect to The Franchise Player. During the special AEW Dynamite 300 in July this year, Mone used Cena's catchphrase to put Toni Storm on notice. She faced Mina Shirakawa for the AEW TBS Championship. After a successful title defense, Mone looked directly into the camera and delivered a cold promo.She called out Storm, declaring that her time is now, a nod to John Cena’s iconic catchphrase. He has used it throughout his career when calling out his opponents. It was iconic and a powerful tribute to The Cenation Leader. Moreover, Mone also bid farewell to Cena with a goodbye during her Instagram live recently, ahead of his retirement match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.