John Cena Announces Official WWE Retirement, Plans For Final Matches

WWE superstar turned actor John Cena announced his upcoming retirement from in-ring competition during the Money in the Bank premium live event in Toronto Saturday (July 6) night.

"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," Cena said during an in-ring promo at Scotiabank Arena. "I want to say thank you."

Cena, 47, a 16-time world champion and widely regarded as one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling history, served as WWE's franchise player for more than a decade before working a part-time schedule in recent years amid his emergence as a top comedic actor. The Peacemaker star confirmed that he planned to work "a long list of dates" between January and December 2025, including the company's signature premium live events.

"People say they're walking away, and two years later they come back. I want to set the record straight right now, I'm done. This is it," Cena said during in a press conference held after the Money in the Bank event. "If you ever wanted to be a part of this one last time, we're going to do it as big as we can and we're fighting everybody and we hope you come enjoy the fun."