After nearly two and a half decades, John Cena’s time in the WWE is coming to an end. The wrestler-turned-actor announced on Saturday, June 6, that he’ll retire from the wrestling organization in 2025.
“Tonight, I officially announce my retirement from the WWE,” he said at Saturday’s Money in the Bank event in Toronto, Canada, drawing gasps and even boos from the crowd.
“This farewell does not end tonight,” he said. “It is filled with opportunity. Everybody, Raw makes history next year when it moves to Netflix. I’ve never been a part of Raw on Netflix — that is history. That is a first, and I will be there. And along with that history-making first, we are going to build so many unforgettable lasts. The 2025 Royal Rumble will be my last. The 2025 Elimination Chamber will be my last. And I’m here tonight to announce that in Las Vegas, WrestleMania 2025 will be the last WrestleMania I compete in.”
Soon, the reaction from the crowd turned from boos to cheers, as the audience chanted “Thank you, Cena.” And the wrestler, who has 16 WWE world championships to his name, reciprocated the gratitude.
“Thank you so much for letting me play in the house that you built for so many years,” said Cena. “Thank you so much always for your voice, because it’s really loud, and your honesty, because it’s beautifully brutal. And most of all, thank you so much for allowing me to be with you here tonight to let the whole world know that we are planning something unforgettable, which also involves me returning to Toronto to kick some ass!”
At a follow-up press conference, Cena detailed his plans to wrestle for all of 2025, with a farewell tour of dates “hovering in the mid-thirties to forties” going through December of that year. “And that’ll be the end of my in-ring competition,” he said.
He also said he plans on “being a member of the extended WWE family for quite some time to come.”
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Cena, who joined WWE in 2021, hinted at his upcoming retirement this January, telling Entertainment Tonight that “that time is gonna come, and it’s gonna come soon.”
The 47-year-old has been focusing on acting in the last decade, appearing in the films Trainwreck, Bumblebee, F9, and Fast X. And his part in the film The Suicide Squad led to a starring role in the Max television series Peacemaker, which has been renewed for a second season.
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