John Cena revealed his plan to retire from the WWE in an announcement that shocked fans at an event on Saturday.
The wrestling icon, a 16-time world champion, sported a T-shirt that read, “The last time is now,” as he informed the crowd at WWE’s Money in the Bank event in Toronto that he looks to retire from in-ring competition in 2025.
“This farewell does not end tonight. It is filled with opportunity,” said Cena, who noted his plans to participate in WWE Raw after it moves to Netflix in January.
Cena told fans to expect him at the 2025 editions of Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber, as well as WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.
He later clarified in a post-show press conference that he’s eyeing at least 30 dates on his retirement tour between January and December 2025.
In response to his retirement announcement, fans at the event chanted “thank you, Cena,” after which the wrestler gave his thanks to them.
“Thank you so much for letting me play in the house that you built for so many years,” he said.
“Thank you so much always for your voice because it’s really loud and your honesty because it’s beautifully brutal,” he continued. “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.”
Cena, who signed with the WWE in 2001 and has since found a career in Hollywood, said he plans to remain in the “WWE family in some capacity for an extended time to come.”
“I’ve always said to the audience that the WWE is my home, and I love it. Just because I physically feel I’m at my end doesn’t mean I need to distance myself from something I love,” he said at the press conference.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque, a wrestling legend and WWE chief content officer, said Cena “truly is” the greatest of all time.
“John’s contributions to the business, second to none. A lot of people talk about legends and icons, and, you know, so much speculation made around who would be on the Mount Rushmore or whatever that is. But I don’t care what metric you use, John is at the top of all of them,” Levesque said during the press conference.