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It's hard to think about what John Cena failed to achieve success in his storied WWE career.
He holds the WWE record of being a 17-time WWE Champion, which he set at WrestleMania 41 when he defeated Cody Rhodes to become the Undisputed WWE Champion. After he lost the title at SummerSlam, it looked like there would be no more gold in his belt for the rest of his schedule.
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John Cena enters the ring during SmackDown at The 3Arena Dublin on August 22, 2025 in Dublin, Ireland. (Joe Maher/WWE via Getty Images)
That changed on Monday's RAW when Dominik Mysterio approached Cena in Boston – just a few miles from his hometown in West Newbury, Massachusetts. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque set up an impromptu match between the two with Intercontinental Championship on the line.
To Mysterio's credit, the son of the legendary Rey Mysterio controlled most of the match. But his “dirty” tricks did not fool a single WWE official. He tried to finish Cena with a 619 and a frog splash. But Cena caught him.
Cena picked up Mysterio and hit the Attitude Adjustment before pinning him for the win. He became the new Intercontinental Champion.
“Thank you so much Boston, you are the reason the champion is here today,” he told the crowd at TD Garden before pyrotechnics went off to celebrate his victory.
Dominik Mysterio celebrates defeating Bron Breaker, Penta and Finn Balor to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
JOHN CENA WAS 'BATTLE-TESTED, ALWAYS GONE AND WAS JUST A TRUE CHAMPION' OF WWE, SAYS MLW FOUNDER
Backstage, Cena was congratulated by his fellow WWE Superstars.
While Cena's reign as WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion was the most talked about during his career, he was also a five-time United States Champion and four-time Tag Team Champion, teaming with The Miz, David Otunga, Batista and Shawn Michaels.
Cena's Intercontinental Championship win makes him the latest Grand Slam champion WWE has to offer. Modern Grand Slam Champions in WWE have held the WWE Tag Team Championships, the United States Intercontinental Championships and the World Championships. The last two to accomplish this feat were Kevin Owens and Finn Balor, both in 2013.
John Cena appears during Crown Jewel at the RAC Arena on October 11, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Rich Frieda/WWE via Getty Images)
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It's unclear who will be the No. 1 contender for Cena's title. Tournament “The last time is now” started later Monday evening. The tournament will determine who Cena's final opponent will be.
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