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John Cena Teases “Something Epic” At WWE Backlash: “Stay Tuned”

By John Canton • Published Apr 23, 2026 19:00 EDT
John Cena WWE WrestleMania 42
John Cena WWE WrestleMania 42 - Image via WWE.com

John Cena is likely going to be a part of WWE Backlash based on a message he shared on social media.

As the WrestleMania 42 host, John Cena was back on WWE television for the first time since he retired as a wrestler in December 2025.

Instead of wearing the baseball hat, jorts, and sneakers, Cena was dressed in a suit on both nights of WrestleMania as he announced the attendance to the crowd. Cena was also involved in segments with Bianca Belair, during which she announced her pregnancy.

On WrestleMania Sunday, Cena was also with Danhausen and little people as they humiliated The Miz and Kit Wilson.

John Cena turned 49 years old on April 23rd, and he replied to a post on X by Complex where they got his age wrong. That tweet by Complex was deleted, but Cena shared a message that was interesting about WWE Club.

Man if only it were 2023 again!! I might have different business at @WWE#Backlash Alas, the years pass. I am still gonna try to do something epic in Tampa for 5/9. I promised Club WWE something special… stay tuned.

The WWE Backlash PLE is in Tampa, Florida, on May 9th, which is where Cena has lived for most of his WWE career.

John Cena has been featured heavily in WWE Club video packages as the company waits to announce more about what it entails.

WWE Retirement Was John Cena’s Plan For Three Years

Regarding his 2025 WWE retirement, John Cena made it clear that it wasn’t a decision he made in a rush. Instead, it was something he planned out three years in advance. Since Cena had time to think about it, he was able to mentally prepare and fully accept that his in-ring career had ended:

It’s something I wish I could do forever. I think the reasonable approach is to understand when it’s time to step away, and this was a process that took like 3 years. I had the idea, pitched the idea, 15 months later, we announced the tour, and then a year we had the tour.

So, I did have plenty of time to get into a space that like, okay, my in-ring performance for WWE is over. I’m happy that we did… I thought we did an incredible year of business, and certainly, the audience has talked about it, and I’m very grateful for that.

In his final WWE match, John Cena retired at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, 2025, held at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., where he lost to Gunther via submission. Even though Cena was known for saying “never give up” in his WWE career, he literally gave up in his final WWE match.

At the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, John Cena claimed that the only match he rewatched from his retirement tour was from Crown Jewel 2025 against AJ Styles. Cena said he was in tears after watching it back.

AJ is truly special to me. The only match I have watched back from the retirement tour is me and him in Australia, and I bawled my eyes out.