Sport

WWE Friday Night SmackDown

On 29 August 2025, WWE returned to Lyon-Décines with a new episode of SmackDown. This was a date eagerly awaited by wrestling fans in Lyon, who are renowned for being amongst the most passionate in the world. This enthusiasm did not go unnoticed by John Cena, who himself described the Lyon crowd as the ‘best crowd’ during his visit to the LDLC Arena.

This event is produced by AEG PRESENTS FRANCE.

Following the historic success of SmackDown and Backlash France in 2024, WWE made its grand return to the LDLC Arena on 29 August 2025 with a new Friday Night SmackDown.

A particularly eagerly awaited return, matching the excitement generated by the WWE’s first visit to France. But this time, the event had a very special significance: the evening was part of the farewell tour of John Cena, one of the greatest icons in WWE history.

After more than twenty years in the ring, John Cena announced in 2024 that 2025 would be his final year of competition. His farewell tour, comprising numerous appearances around the world, was intended as a way of thanking the fans who had supported him throughout his career. Lyon was therefore one of his final European stops.

And for his visit to Lyon, John Cena knew he could count on a special crowd.

Even before stepping into the ring, the American superstar had a few words for the fans in Lyon, having heard about the exceptional atmosphere at the LDLC Arena. It was a statement that immediately made a lasting impression:

“I’ve heard that the biggest crowd in WWE history was in Lyon, France.”

A sentence that, on its own, sums up the bond forged between WWE and the Lyon audience since the organisation’s first visit in 2024.

Just as in 2024, the atmosphere was one of the key highlights of the evening.

Over 11,000 fans packed the LDLC Arena for this latest WWE event, once again cheering loudly as the Superstars made their entrances and turning every moment of the show into a true collective spectacle. The atmosphere in Lyon had, in fact, already been widely noted during the WWE’s first visit, to the extent that it was subsequently cited as one of the standout memories of the organisation’s time in France.

John Cena’s presence gave this SmackDown an air of significance that went far beyond that of a mere sporting event. A key figure in the WWE since the early 2000s, and a sixteen-time world champion at the start of this tour before becoming world champion for the 17th time at WrestleMania 41, Cena was then in the final year of his career. His appearance in Lyon therefore represented one of the last opportunities for the French public to see live the man who has left his mark on several generations of wrestling fans.

The WWE’s return in 2025 confirmed something that had begun as early as May 2024: a genuine connection between the WWE and the audience at the LDLC Arena.

In just two events, the Lyon venue has become a recognised fixture amongst wrestling fans and the WWE itself. The enthusiasm of the crowd, already evident at Backlash France, has helped to make Lyon an unmissable stop on the company’s European tours.

Yet another night in the history of the LDLC Arena.
But above all, a night that will be remembered as one of John Cena’s final appearances in France.

A unique moment, brimming with energy, spectacle and emotion — just the sort of experience the WWE knows how to create when it meets an audience as passionate as the one in Lyon.

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