It's been an emotional week for Paul "Triple H" Levesque. Firstly, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker surprised him with the announcement of his solo WWE Hall of Fame induction as a part of the 2025 class. Days later, Levesque came across long-time friend John Cena while backstage at the WWE Royal Rumble. In doing so, Levesque realized the gravity of Cena's appearance, namely that it'd be his final at the respective premium live event.

"I was standing in the back listening to John Cena talk about his passion for the business, how he sees the business, that he has always done what is right and best for business. John is one of the greatest performers to ever do this, but an even better person and businessman. That is a rarity to have all of those gifts and attributes," Levesque said at the Royal Rumble post-show press-conference.

"It dawned on me tonight when he walked into Gorilla position before he walked out there that it is the last time I will see John at a Royal Rumble. He said it here tonight. I was back there trying to hold my emotions together as he talked about it. I was there when he started. I'm here when he is getting to the end. The clock is ticking, and each time we see John, it is one of the last times we see him in this ring."

25 years after stepping foot into WWE, Cena will wrap up his in-ring career later this December. Before then, he is treating the WWE Universe to a retirement tour with about 35 dates, one of which came at the Royal Rumble. The 16-time world champion made the most of this outing by eliminating the likes of Braun Strowman, Logan Paul, and Finn Balor. In the end, Cena finished second in the Men's Royal Rumble match as he fell to the hands of the winner, Jey Uso.