What WWE Taught Me About Family Engagement: Lessons from John Cena's Championship Win

Last night on Monday Night RAW, John Cena defeated Dominik Mysterio to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship for the first time in his career—the one title that had eluded him throughout his legendary run. The match took place in Cena's hometown of Boston during his final RAW appearance before his December retirement.

You might be wondering: What does WWE have to do with family engagement in schools?

I get it. It seems like a stretch. But here's the thing—I spend every waking moment thinking about how schools can build authentic partnerships with families. And I've discovered that I can find parallels in almost anything. Last night's RAW episode reminded me of profound lessons about engagement, legacy, and what it means to build relationships that span generations.

The Live Event That Affirms How I See Engagement

Last March, I bought tickets to a WWE live show for my hubby’s birthday. He's a huge fan; I was just along for the experience. But what I witnessed that day fundamentally shifted how I think about building community and sustaining engagement across generations.

The arena was packed. Nearly every seat filled. But here's what stopped me in my tracks: the incredible diversity of who was there.

Newborns strapped to parents' chests. Toddlers on shoulders wearing tiny replica championship belts. Elementary kids screaming their heads off. Teenagers with their friends. Young adults who'd clearly been fans for years. Parents in their prime. Grandparents who probably started watching decades ago.

Four generations in one arena, fully engaged in the same experience.

When Jay Uso entered the ring that day, I felt the energy shift. The crowd erupted—not just cheered, but participated. They knew the chants. They understood the storylines. They were co-creators of the experience, not just passive consumers.

And last night, watching from home as thousands of fans in Boston chanted for John Cena, I felt that same electric energy through my screen. This wasn't just entertainment. This was community. This was belonging. This was multi-generational partnership in action.

What WWE Understands That Schools Often Miss

WWE has mastered something that schools desperately need to learn: how to create experiences that bring multiple generations together in authentic, sustained engagement.

Think about what WWE does remarkably well:

1. They Build Long-Term Storylines That Honor History

Dominik Mysterio grew up watching John Cena. Last night, he was in the ring with him. The match wasn't just about who won—it was about legacy, mentorship, and the passing of the torch.

Dominik's father, Rey Mysterio, is a WWE legend. Dominik has been watching, learning, and preparing his entire life. When he stepped into the ring with Cena—a wrestler he idolized as a child—the moment carried weight because WWE had built decades of narrative that made that encounter meaningful.

Schools need this same long-term vision. Engagement can't start and stop with each enrollment cycle. It has to be a continuous story where families see themselves as part of a legacy—where today's kindergarteners become tomorrow's parent volunteers, where alumni return to mentor current students, where multi-generational connections are celebrated and sustained.

2. They Create Shared Language and Rituals

At that live event, I watched grandparents teaching grandchildren the chants. Parents explaining storylines to their kids. Teenagers showing their younger siblings the signature moves.

Everyone knew when to participate. They understood the rituals. The shared language created instant connection between strangers—a grandfather and a seven-year-old could bond over their mutual appreciation for a wrestler, despite having nothing else in common.

Schools often underestimate the power of shared rituals and common language. When families—across generations and backgrounds—have shared touchpoints (traditions, events, values, even inside jokes), they become connected not just to the school but to each other. That's when community forms.

3. They Make Everyone Feel Part of the Action

WWE doesn't just put on a show and expect people to watch quietly. They invite participation. They respond to crowd energy. They change storylines based on fan investment. The audience isn't passive—they're active co-creators of the experience.

Last night, when the Boston crowd went wild for their hometown hero John Cena, WWE didn't just acknowledge it—they built the entire narrative around it. Triple H made the championship match official at the start of the show, responding to the energy in the arena and giving fans exactly the moment they craved.

Schools often approach family engagement as one-directional. We communicate to families. We invite them to events we've planned. We ask them to volunteer for roles we've defined. But what if we approached it more like WWE—creating experiences where families aren't just attendees but active participants who shape what happens?

4. They Invest in the Experience, Not Just the Transaction

WWE could sell tickets to people sitting in chairs watching matches. Instead, they create spectacle—pyrotechnics, dramatic entrances, elaborate storylines, unexpected moments. They understand that people come back not just for the wrestling but for the entire experience.

That March event I attended wasn't just about the matches. It was about the energy in the arena, the vendors selling imitation belts , the dramatic lighting, the music, the storytelling. My partner and I still talk about it—not because of who won or lost, but because of how it felt to be there.

Schools often focus on the transactional elements of engagement—did parents attend the conference, volunteer for the event, respond to the email? But lasting engagement is about the experience. Do families feel the energy when they walk through your doors? Do they leave talking about how it felt to be part of your community? Are you creating moments worth remembering?

The Full Circle Moment: Preparing the Next Generation

Here's what moved me most about last night's match: John Cena won, but the reality is that this journey has only prepared Dominik Mysterio.

Dominik didn't lose—he learned. He went toe-to-toe with one of the greatest of all time, in front of thousands, on one of the biggest stages. Cena is on his retirement tour, with his final match scheduled for December 13. This wasn't about ending Dominik's story; it was about furthering it.

Cena got the championship he'd never won—finally becoming a Grand Slam Champion—completing his legacy. But in that same moment, he elevated Dominik, giving him a main-event spotlight and a story that will carry forward long after Cena retires.

This is what schools should aspire to: preparing the next generation while honoring those who came before.

When we engage families authentically—not just to fill seats at events but to build genuine partnerships—we're investing in a cycle that extends far beyond any single school year. We're creating alumni who return as mentors. Parents who become board members. Grandparents who establish scholarships. Students who grow up and send their own children to the same school because the experience was so transformative.

We're building full-circle stories where today's eight-year-old becomes tomorrow's parent volunteer becomes the next generation's champion for the school.

The Challenge: Building Multi-Generational Engagement in Schools

So how do schools actually do this? How do we create the WWE-level engagement where four generations show up, participate fully, and feel like they belong?

Start with long-term thinking. Stop approaching engagement as an annual recruitment cycle and start thinking about it as a decades-long relationship arc. What story are you telling that makes families want to be part of your community not just for one year but for a lifetime?

Create shared rituals and language. Develop traditions that transcend any single cohort. Build in-jokes, signature events, and common values that alumni from 30 years ago share with current families. Make sure everyone—regardless of when they joined—has access to the shared narrative.

Invite authentic participation. Don't just ask families to show up to events you've planned. Create structures where their input shapes what happens. Where their energy influences decisions. Where they feel like co-creators, not spectators.

Design for experience, not transaction. When families interact with your school—at tours, events, conferences, or even just picking up their kids—are you creating moments they'll remember? Moments that feel special, not routine? Moments that make them excited to come back?

Honor legacy while investing in the future. Celebrate the families who came before while making space for new families to build their own stories. Create connections between generations. Let your veterans mentor your newcomers. Build bridges.

Congratulations to John Cena—and to All of Us Building Legacy

Watching John Cena win that championship in his hometown, on his final RAW appearance, in front of a crowd that's watched him for two decades—that's what it looks like when you build authentic, sustained, multi-generational connection.

Congratulations to Cena for completing his Grand Slam. And congratulations to WWE for reminding us what's possible when you invest in relationships that span generations, create experiences people want to be part of, and honor the journey as much as the destination.

For those of us in education working to build authentic family partnerships, there's a lot to learn from a company that can fill arenas with grandparents, parents, and kids who all chant in unison.

Because when you get it right—when you create something worth showing up for, worth participating in, worth passing down to the next generation—that's when magic happens.

That's when families don't just enroll. They belong.

I'd love to hear your thoughts: What unexpected places have you found lessons about family engagement? What organizations or industries do you think schools could learn from? Have you ever been to a live event where you felt that kind of multi-generational energy? Share your experiences in the comments.

And if you're working to build stronger family partnerships in your school or organization, let's connect. Sometimes the best insights come from the most unexpected places—even Monday Night RAW.

Related Topics: Family Engagement | Multi-Generational Community | School Culture | Partnership Building | Student Recruitment | Community Building | Legacy and Tradition | Organizational Culture | Experience Design | WWE