Longtime professional wrestler-turned-actor John Cena announced on Saturday that he plans to retire from the squared circle by the end of 2025, signalling the end of one of the most notable wrestling career s in the last two decades. But his time isn’t over yet. Cena, a 16-time WWE world champion who made a career jump to Hollywood in the past decade, explained his plans to retire in front of thousands at the Money in the Bank WWE event in Toronto.
The declaration shocked the wrestling world because Cena wasn’t scheduled to appear on the show. “I want to say thank you,” he told the crowd, who responded with “Thank you, Cena” chants. “Thank you so much for letting me play in the house that you built for so many years,” he added.
“Thank you so much always for your voice because it’s really loud and your honesty because it’s beautifully brutal.” Cena said he will appear during WWE’s first episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix, which is set to begin in January 2025, after a $5 billion deal between WWE and the streaming service. Cena said he will also attend two of WWE’s early 2025 event Elimination Chamber , and the annual Royal Rumble (where 30 wrestlers compete in an over-the-top rope battle royale for a shot at the heavyweight title).
He also plans to compete at WWE’s mega show, WrestleMania 41 from Las Vegas next year..
