WWE legend John Cena has retired from professional wrestling, bringing the curtain down on a 24-year in-ring career after his final match at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.

‎Cena bowed out at Saturday Night’s Main Event, where he faced Gunther in his farewell bout.

‎The 48-year-old was defeated after being forced to submit to a sleeper hold in a contest that lasted just under 25 minutes, ending one of the most decorated careers in WWE history.

‎Fans inside the arena watched in disbelief as Gunther relentlessly kept Cena locked in the hold during the closing moments of the match, despite loud chants urging the veteran to fight on.

‎When Cena eventually tapped out, some supporters were seen in tears.

‎The ending stunned fans, as Cena, long known for never tapping out during his career, was forced to submit for the first time, finally giving in to Gunther’s sleeper hold.

‎After the bell rang, wrestlers from the WWE locker room emerged to honour him.

‎Cena then left his wristbands and boots in the ring — a traditional sign of retirement — before walking up the entrance ramp, turning back and offering a final salute to the crowd and cameras.

‎Cena retires as a 17-time world champion, the most title reigns recognised by WWE.

‎He also headlined WrestleMania on six occasions and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.

‎His trademark “You Can’t See Me” catchphrase became one of the most recognisable slogans in sports entertainment.

‎He debuted in WWE in 2002, losing to Kurt Angle, and initially struggled to establish himself as a singles star.

‎His career turned around after he adopted the “Doctor of Thuganomics” persona, a character known for freestyle rap promos, which quickly made him a fan favourite.

‎Beyond wrestling, Cena successfully crossed over into Hollywood, becoming one of the few WWE stars to enjoy sustained success as a film actor.

‎Cena had announced at the Money in the Bank Premium Live Event on July 6, 2024, that he would retire from in-ring competition at the end of 2025.

‎His retirement tour officially began at the Royal Rumble in January, where he was eliminated by Jey Uso.

‎He later shocked fans by turning heel — a villain persona — for the first time since 2003 at Elimination Chamber on March 1.

‎Cena went on to win his record-breaking 17th world title by defeating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania in April, before dropping both the title and the villainous persona to Rhodes at SummerSlam in August.

‎A tournament was subsequently organised to determine Cena’s final opponent, with Gunther emerging winner and earning the right to face him at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

‎Speaking after the event, current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes struggled to hold back his emotions as he reflected on Cena’s impact.

“It’s just still like, when it’s that good you don’t want it to end and I know that’s vague but he did everything by the book and taught so many people and set such a high standard, such a high bar,” Rhodes said.

When the roll call of 48 national football teams that will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals taking place in the United States of America (USA) and co-hosts – Canada and Mexico, the Super Eagles of Nigeria will be among the absentees. This is a very heart- breaking development for the team’s millions of followers and fans within the country and in other parts of the world.

It is even more painful considering the fact that the Nigerian national team will be missing the prestigious World Cup for the second time in eight years.

The Eagles couldn’t fly to Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup finals when they failed to beat the Black Stars of Ghana in their final qualifying match against Ghana in Abuja.

The game which ended 1-1 was not enough to see the Eagles to the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Sadly the NFF failed to learn from the previous mistake as the sole organ in charge of football administration in the country, they failed to learn from planning early enough for major championships. In their group matches for the 2026 World Cup, they had less rated teams like Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Benin Republic and South Africa. Many analysts had thought that the Eagles would not have much problem qualifying from the group automatically as the leaders but that was not to be. They laboured to make it to a play off stage which was held in Morocco.

It was in the North African country that the Nigerian footballers cried out at a press conference that the NFF had not paid them their match bonuses and allowances for almost four years. The Eagles even boycotted some of their training in Morocco as a result.

This development is a national embarrassment. The low spirited Eagles went on to lose their final play-off to DR Congo on penalties. This caused Nigeria another opportunity to make it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.

Many Nigerians including a former captain of the National team Mikel Obi have called for the sack of the present NFF for failing the nation. This medium not only agrees with Obi, they should be probed. Nigeria’s football fans are also calling on President Bola Tinubu to show more than passive interest in the National embarrassment and pain caused this nation by an incompetent football administrators.

With the Super Eagles missing out on the 2026 World Cup the country’s reputation as a power in world football continues to diminish. While less rated countries like Cape Verde, Algeria and Tunisia are heading for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Super Eagles will be resting at home for the second time in eight years.

 Sadly again, a generation of great players like Victor Osimhen, 2023 African footballer of the year award winner and his successor Ademola Lookman, will painfully miss out at the world’s biggest football event.

Of course, Nigeria will miss millions of dollars payments from FIFA for not participating in the earth-shaking competition.The team will equally lose out from endorsements from companies and private individuals. The players in particular have missed a great opportunity of transfer to bigger clubs with bigger salaries.

The USA provided a great avenue for the Super Eagles where they made their first appearance at a FIFA World Cup finals in 1994. The Eagles defeated Bulgaria 3-1, went on to beat Greece 2-0 but lost to Argentina 2-1. The team proceeded to the second round where they lost to Italy 2-1 via a dying minute goal by Roberto Bazio. The team had golden generation of players like Rashidi Yekini, Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amunike, goalkeeper Peter Rufai, Samson Siasia, Uche Okechukwu, Finidi George among others. Since then, Nigeria had participated in France 1998 World Cup, Korea/Japan 2002, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018

With more than six million tickets available for the tournament, and nearly two million already sold, the FIFA World Cup 2026 will bring together supporters from every corner of the globe for an unforgettable celebration of football across North America.

DAILY ASSET is of the view that to reposition the Super Eagles for the next FIFA World Cup, Nigeria should consider the issue of developing grassroots football and invest in youth development programs; infrastructure and coaching to identify and nurture talented young players.

The NFF should also improve its coaching and technical staff by hiring experienced coaches with international expertise to develop a strong team strategy and player development programs.

Additionally, NFF must of necessity embark on scouting and talent identification by Identifying and recruiting top players, both locally and abroad, to strengthen the team. In essence, every step must be taken to strengthen and improve our local league.

And most importantly, entrenching transparency and accountability to avoid any embarrassment of players in camp protesting like the case that was recently witnessed in Morocco.

Former Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has died at the age of 79.

The American, who owned the club alongside George Gillett from 2007 to 2010, died surrounded by family at his home in Dallas, Texas.

“Of everything he accomplished in his remarkable life, Tom Hicks’ most cherished title was ‘Dad’,” read a statement from Hicks’ six children.

“No matter the trials and tribulations he faced in life, he was constant in his generosity and love for his family.

“He remains a guiding force for our family, and we are deeply honoured to continue expanding his legacy.

“Although we are devastated by this loss, we are profoundly grateful to have been his children.

”

Hicks and Gillett sold Liverpool to Fenway Sports Group after encountering financial difficulties.

They were widely unpopular with Liverpool fans, running up debts of about £237m and failing to deliver on promises to renovate Anfield or build a new stadium.

In a statement, Liverpool said they send their condolences “to the Hicks family and Tom’s friends at this difficult time”.

Hicks also owned ice hockey team the Dallas Stars from 1995 to 2011 and baseball team the Texas Rangers from 1998 to 2010.

Under Hicks’ ownership, the Stars won consecutive Central Division titles between 1996 and 1998 and the Stanley Cup in 1999.

The Rangers won three American League West Division titles, and were runners-up in the 2010 World Series.

Hicks is survived by his wife of 35 years, Cinda.