John Cena Wishes Farewell Tour Included Poughkeepsie Venue

Cena expressed disappointment in not being able to wrestle at Poughkeepsie venue during recent interview.

is an American professional wrestler, writer and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE since 2001. He is a 17-time world champion, having the most world title reigns as recognized by WWE, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.

Also See: Top 5 Most Memorable Wrestling Matches in Poughkeepsie

Cena began wrestling in 1999 and signed with WWE in 2001 where he began in its then-developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). After debuting on the main roster on Smackdown! in 2002, he rose to prominence as a brash, villainous rapper before becoming the company's franchise player from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s. He has wrestled on a part-time schedule since 2018, with his retirement match scheduled to take place at Saturday Night's Main Event XLII on December 13, 2025. His run as a face from 2003 to 2025 was the longest continuous portrayal of a heroic character in WWE history.

John Cena's "The Last Time Is Now" farewell tour is a year-long run in 2025, marking his retirement from full-time WWE wrestling, culminating in his final match on December 13th at Saturday Night's Main Event in Washington, D.C., against Gunther who won "The Last Time Is Now" tournament to earn the spot, concluding a tour where Cena turned heel, became a 17-time champion, and passed the torch to new stars.

John Cena Hoped to Wrestle at the Civic Center One Last Time

John Cena sat down with Tom Rinaldi for a candid and wide-ranging interview ahead of Cena’s farewell match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. In a clip posted by WWE on social media. Cena talks about how he wanted to do 200 dates on his farewell tour, including wrestling at the Mid Hudson Civic Center (now MJN Center) in Poughkeepsie. He says that he wanted to do 200 dates so he could say goodbye to everybody, but WWE said they only needed 36 dates. See clip below.

The only record of John Cena previously wrestling in Poughkeepsie that we could find was courtesy of PWTorch.

Jan. 20, 2003 at a House Show, Cena wrestled Rikishi in a Kiss My Ass Match where Cena lost. After the match, Cena and his partner attacked Rikishi until others made the save.

May 23, 2012 – WWE House Show (Poughkeepsie, NY) • John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler • Result: Cena defeated Ziggler.