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John Cena hung up his wrestling boots after his final match at WWE Saturday Night'ss Main Event in December 2025. Many had wondered if Cena's retirement would affect WWE's numbers in terms of viewership and other metrics. However, recent statistics prove that the company is still thriving without The Cenation Leader as an in-ring competitor.
Recently, Netflix revealed viewership numbers for its top shows, with the Feb 2, 2026 edition of Monday Night RAW garnering 3.1 million viewers. These are gigantic numbers similar to the November 17, 2025, edition of RAW that featured John Cena competing on RAW for the final time. Moreover, RAW pulled its highest numbers on Netflix for its first episode of 2026 since Cena retired from in-ring competition.
What was the prime highlight for the Feb 2nd edition of WWE RAW that pulled major numbers since John Cena's retirement?
One of the major highlights that helped Monday Night RAW amass exceptional numbers for its Feb 2nd episode was the main event confrontation between the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns. The OTC had won the 2026 Men's Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earning the right to challenge the World Champion of his choice in the main event of WrestleMania 42.
Reigns made an appearance on the Feb 2, 2026, episode of RAW to address his victory and reveal his choice for WrestleMania. He spoke about both current champions, Drew McIntyre and CM Punk, which led to The Best in the World coming out to confront Reigns. The duo had an argument recounting events over the years where they teamed up and faced each other in the ring.
After a heated back-and-forth, the Tribal Chief chose Punk as his WrestleMania opponent, saying, "I'm choosing you because I hate you." This set the stage for one of the blockbuster matches at WrestleMania 42 this year. Moreover, the ratings drawn by this segment and the entire RAW episode prove that WWE can still amass major numbers without a major star like John Cena.
As for The Never Seen 17, he has been navigating life outside the squared circle. Cena has been involved in major Hollywood projects and has been looking happy and satisfied after ending his illustrious wrestling career on his terms. However, Cena is still with WWE as an ambassador, so fans could hope for future onscreen WWE appearances by him, but in a new capacity.
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