John Cena involved in major lawsuit days before WWE retirement

John Cena is set to retire in a few days. Just before his WWE retirement, he was involved in a major lawsuit.

John Cena is widely regarded as the Greatest of All Time. During his legendary career, he had accomplished many milestones and is gearing up for his final match. One of the most recognizable elements of Cena is his entrance music. Cena has used the same theme song for several years. However, his theme song has gotten him in trouble recently.

A new federal lawsuit was filed in New York that accuses WWE, TKO, and John Cena of using unlicensed samples to create the Last Real Champion's iconic theme song. The complaint was filed in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday and alleges that the horn-driven intro and outro used in Cena's theme song were copied from the 1974 cover recording arranged by bandleader Pete Schofield. Since Pete has passed away, the complaint was submitted by his daughter, Kim Schofield, who says she owns the copyrights to the record and claims the music is an original arrangement.

Although Pete Schofield's recording was a cover of the Bobby Russell song, Kim claims that the horn intro and outro added were original. Schofield also alleges that she reached a settlement with WWE in 2017 and was paid $50,000, but she now claims that the sports entertainment juggernaut withheld crucial information from her. Schofield has asked the court to void the agreement, claiming the WWE withheld information about the long-term use of the sample and an upcoming national ad campaign which aired two days after the agreement was signed.

According to the filing, Schofield alleges that WWE claimed the song had limited value and dismissed their request for writing credit as "greedy" and "opportunistic." Schofield is representing herself in the case after her attorney withdrew from the case in April 2025. She also filed a lawsuit against Sony Music, Epic Records, and others over what she claims is an unlicensed use of the same horn arrangement in a recent track by artist Dumar 1K.

Kim Schofield is also seeking to recover damages in excess of $150,000. The filing claims that the sports entertainment juggernaut violated the terms of their agreement by releasing the 2019 version of the theme song under a new name, which included the newly recorded imitation of the horn portion. So far, the defendants have not yet filed a response to the complaint, but they have 21 days to do so from the date they've officially been served the complaint.

Additionally, the complaint also named "Jake One" Jacob Brian Dutton, music publisher Pix-Russ Music, and Cynthia Jo Russell. Jacob was the producer who mixed Cena's theme song while Pix-Russ Music and Cynthia Jo Russell hold the rights to the song.

---

John Cena recently confirmed he will never wrestle again after retiring

In the world of professional wrestling, no one is really retired. Many wrestlers announced their retirement only to make an in-ring return a few years later. Legends like Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, and Stone Cold Steve Austin have all returned to the ring after retiring. Therefore, when John Cena announced his retirement, fans were hopeful that he would return to the ring after a few years.

However, the 17-time World Champion has confirmed on Jimmy Kimmel Live that Saturday Night's Main Event will be his final in-ring performance.

"It has been a crazy year, where I announced this like 15 months in advance like, ‘I'm going to retire.’ This has really never been done in WWE history. WWE superstars don't necessarily retire. They always kind of hang on for one more match. I am absolutely 100% done. The 13th of December on Peacock is my last in-ring performance. I will never wrestle again," Cena said.

It will be sad to watch John Cena hang up his boots for good.