John Cena, widely recognized as one of the greatest professional wrestlers in history, has discussed his retirement plans from the sport.
The 16-time champion recently returned to action following a setback at Crown Jewel 2023. His comeback at WrestleMania 40 Night 2 during the Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns match was particularly noteworthy, as he intervened to counter the Bloodline.
Speaking openly on the Pat McAfee Show about his WrestleMania 40 appearance and his future in WWE, Cena addressed questions regarding his WWE status and whether this was his final appearance.
He indicated that it wasn’t his farewell, expressing his belief that he still has some fight left in him. He emphasized that he would only step aside when he feels incapable of delivering his best in the ring.
“I’ve speculated a lot about when it is that I hang up the jorts but it wasn’t last night and I still got a little bit of rubber left on the tires. When I feel I can no longer perform at the capacity of the product, it is time to step away. That’s not tough, the toughest thing is that I love it so much.”
When that time is gone, that means that it’s done. I’m actively trying to craft that path right now. I’ve put a line in the sand for myself for 50 and honestly think it’s going to be before that. There’s your breaking news. I’ll be 47 in a few weeks.”
John Cena said that this was the greatest WrestleMania ever, with or without his involvement. He appreciated the active WWE stars for their contributions.
Cena said, “Many are calling this the greatest WrestleMania ever, right? And I agree, what a spectacle, what a fantastic WrestleMania but that’s because of the talent that actually put the time in. I showed up for 90 seconds. This is the greatest WrestleMania with or without my involvement and that is because of the now, the superstars we have now and their contributions to the business.”
John Cena continued saying that he is always a WWE family and his in-ring career is coming close to an end. Cena said that he is engaged until Christmas 2024, but he hopes to take a break from Hollywood to get back in WWE for his final run.
John Cena said, “It is gonna be time soon for me to go and I’m embracing that and enjoying it and it allows me to be present. I can say this with the utmost certainty, I will always, always be part of the WWE family but the time to compete in the ring is coming to a close.”