SPRINGFIELD — It’s the match area wrestling fans have been waiting for.
For the first time ever, nationally televised WWE Monday Night Raw is coming to Springfield on Sept. 15 to the MassMutual Center, and they are bringing John Cena with them.
Showtime is 6:30 p.m.
Cena, a Springfield College alum and 17-time WWE Undisputed Champion, is retiring from the ring and is currently on his “Last Time is Now” tour with the WWE.
Outside of his wrestling career, Cena is a New York Times best-selling author and record-setting Make-A-Wish granter. He released a hit rap album “You Can’t See Me” in 2005, and starred in blockbuster movies such as “The Marine,” “Bumblebee,” “The Suicide Squad” and “Fast X,” as well as the recent action-comedy “Peacemaker” on HBO Max. He has carried the torch for WWE since he first set foot in the WWE ring nearly two decades ago.
Cena’s farewell tour will end on Dec. 13 as WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event hosts his professional wrestling retirement.
“Bringing WWE back to Springfield is always a major win, but this year is especially meaningful. John Cena is not only a global icon — he’s a proud Springfield College graduate — and this stop on his final tour is a true homecoming,” said Sean Dolan, general manager for the MassMutual Center, in an interview with The Republican.
“We’re expecting fans from across New England to pack the arena, fill our hotels, dine in our restaurants, and explore downtown. The ripple effect for local businesses is real, and it’s events like this that fuel our economy while giving the community a night they’ll never forget,” he added.
In addition to Cena, the action-packed event will also feature World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, Rhea Ripley, Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio, Penta, CM Punk, Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch, LA Knight, and The New Day: Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston.
Xavier Woods, who has been in the ring with Cena, said the atmosphere has been “great” at matches where the wrestler has appeared at part of the “Last Time is Now” tour.
“The fans are really excited to see John. They appreciate everything he has done for the industry. He’s been a huge inspiration for so many people. For a lot of fans, this may be the first time they see him live in action. There are also a lot of new fans who may know him from his different movies or different sources of entertainment that he’s been a part of. So, they are not only seeing him for the first time but seeing professional wrestling for the first time and really getting to understand the tribe that is the WWE universe. It’s an amazing vibe all around and having John there really adds to all the excitement,” he said.
Woods recognized the incredible career Cena has had over the years.
“It’s always been interesting to see people’s transformations as they flow through their WWE careers and what they’re able to bring to the table, how they’re able to inspire the masses. I have been a fan for a long time and now I find myself in the position to be in his company and learn many things from John. It’s a pretty cool feeling to know that wrestlers I was able to watch while I was young and who inspired me to do this are the people who I can now go to for advice and for help on the journey that I’m now on,” he said.
Since entering the ring, Woods has snatched multiple WWE Tag Team Championships alongside his New Day crew of Big E and Kofi Kingston. The New Day proved their place in sports-entertainment history by setting the record for the then-longest Tag Team Championship reign in WWE history. They also released their own Booty-O’s cereal, and hosted WrestleMania.
Not just brawn but brains, Woods is currently earning his Ph.D. in educational psychology in addition to his two bachelor’s degrees in psychology and philosophy, as well as a master’s degree in psychology.
The wrestler said that the reason he is a professional wrestler is because that was his first love.
“That’s what I wanted to do, be a wrestler. The degrees were a backup plan for me. Because being an athlete, especially in my profession, can be extremely dangerous. It can be your last time in the ring or on the field, at any given moment. So, if you don’t have the means to take care of yourself outside of using your body to play sports or perform, then you’re going to have a tough time if the universe decides that this is your last time. It’s very important to me to have that education and to be able to take care of myself outside of the ring. Tomorrow is not promised. Nothing lasts forever. And for me, it was never a question of, ‘Should I go to school?’ It was, ‘I’m going to school, but I’m also going to wrestle,’” Woods said.
In between earning degrees and titles, Woods has also found the time to host his own YouTube gaming channel, UpUpDownDown, which has nearly 2.5 million subscribers.
According to the WWE website, Xavier Woods and his New Day have brought some “much-needed magic and wonder back to WWE.”
Asked what that means, Woods said that he grew up in an era of wrestling where there were “a lot of very cool guys, but plenty of bad asses as well.”
“I think there was an era of wrestlers who wanted to emulate that — being badasses. And for a time, we lost the fantasy, the whimsy, the characters, the big personalities. That was always my favorite part of this industry. So, that’s what I’ve leaned into since the day I began, because this is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be entertaining, it’s supposed to be an escape for people,” Woods said.
“So, if you only have one type of character or one type of storyline on the show where it’s just a bunch of bad asses being bad asses, then for me, it’s just not as exciting. I want to be a different part of the show. And so that was the direction that I leaned into with my group The New Day,” he added.
The 2020 WWE Draft was a bittersweet occasion for The New Day as Woods and Kingston captured the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, but were immediately drafted to Raw, and SmackDown responded by selecting Big E. History essentially repeated itself in the 2021 WWE Draft, as Kofi and Xavier were selected by SmackDown, but Big E was chosen by the red brand.
At WWE Crown Jewel, Woods made history and achieved a lifelong dream when he overcame Finn Bálor to become the 2021 King of the Ring. The New Day became triple crown champions when they captured the NXT Tag Team Titles at NXT Deadline 2022. The New Day were then drafted to Raw during the 2023 WWE Draft.
Tickets, available online at massmutualcenter.com, range in price from $64 to $1,325. There is also a WWE Ringsider VIP Package beginning at $994, which includes premium ringsider floor seats.
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