John Cena Explains The Timing Of His WWE Retirement

The big story coming out of Saturday night’s Money In The Bank premium live event was John Cena’s intention to retire from the ring. Wearing a t-shirt with the words “The Last Time is Now,” Cena would announce midway through the show that 2025 would be his final year as a professional wrestler and promised to answer questions about this during the post-show press conference . And now, during that session, he would explain why 2025 will be his last in the ring and noted even in retirement, he won’t be distancing himself from the business.

“The timing wasn’t entirely up to me. I approached WWE with the idea, and they suggested this timeframe as ideal if we were ever going to do it. The business is currently thriving, with incredible popularity and awareness. Major milestones, like the upcoming Netflix debut, are particularly significant … I intend to stay connected with the WWE family for a long time. I have no plans to distance myself from this business that I love.”

47-year-old Cena broke into the wrestling industry in 1998 via Ultimate Pro Wrestling, going by the name The Prototype. From there, he received a couple of WWE tryout matches in 2000, leading him to sign up for the company the following year and be assigned to its then-developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling. And while his television debut on SmackDown was memorable because he confronted Kurt Angle, after he subsequently failed to connect with fans in the following months, his future with the company was in doubt. However, after demonstrating his legitimate rap skills, he adopted the “The Doctor of Thuganomics” nickname, and his career began skyrocketing.