John Cena Announces His Retirement From Wrestling In 2025

John Cena announced Sunday his impending retirement from professional wrestling, saying that 2025 will be his last year competing in a WWE ring.

Cena made a surprise appearance at Saturday’s “Monday in the Bank” Premium Live Event to make the announcement, saying next year’s “Royal Rumble,” “Elimination Chamber” and “WrestleMania” would be his last shows. Cena clarified during a post-show news conference that he will have around 30 or 40 dates from January 2025 through December, and then that would be it.

Cena debuted in the WWE in 2002, and he worked his way up the ranks before winning his first world title in 2005. He went on to hold the WWE Championship and World Championship belts 16 times, tying the record held by Ric Flair. However, Cena has only appeared sporadically in the ring since 2018, while his career as an actor took off.

The final run for Cena will begin in January when Monday Night Raw moves from USA to Netflix. There is also the possibility that Cena could finally break his tie with Flair by winning one of WWE’s World Championships before the end of 2025. But during the post-Money in the Bank press conference, Cena indicated that he doesn’t expect to get another opportunity like that without working his way back into championship contention.

Cena’s last few years have largely been spent putting over younger wrestlers, and he hasn’t consistently won matches since 2018. Regardless, Cena is one of the most iconic wrestlers of his generation, and his farewell tour will likely be one of WWE’s top storylines in 2025.

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