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John Cena Reveals His WWE Plans After Retirement

By Monika Thapa • Published Nov 02, 2025 10:00 EST
John Cena on WWE Raw

John Cena’s WWE in-ring career is winding down, with his official retirement set for December 13, 2025.

He announced his decision to retire from active wrestling back in 2024 during the Money in the Bank event, making 2025 his farewell year in the squared circle. Cena’s last wrestling match will take place at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 in Washington, D.C., marking the end of an era for one of WWE’s most iconic superstars.​​

To decide John Cena’s final opponent, WWE recently announced “The Last Time Is Now” Tournament during the SNME show on November 1. It will be a 16-man tournament starting November 10, 2025, on Monday Night Raw in Cena’s hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.

The tournament will feature talents from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, and maybe even outside WWE stars. Only the winner of this tough competition will earn the historic right to face Cena in his farewell match, which adds tons of hype and unpredictability to John Cena’s final chapter.​

John Cena Comments On Future WWE Appearances After Retirement

That said, in a sit-down interview with Fox Sports reporter Tom Rinaldi ahead of the SNME event, John Cena opened up about his retirement decision, explaining that any future WWE appearances from him won’t involve physical wrestling.

“Any appearances I would make on WWE in the future wouldn’t have physical activity.”

The Never Seen 17 confirmed he’s done with in-ring action for good. Cena wants to exit on his terms and let the new generation shine, bringing his legendary career to a close with respect and grace.

“I made a promise to WWE that I would not stick around when my skills can’t match the product, and they can’t, and that’s ok, because what I do isn’t who I am. The realization of that has helped me be like, ‘let these guys have it now’. Physical activity, 100%. I very rarely speak in absolutes because you never know. I do know in this case. Never again, because I don’t want to let the people I made a promise to down.”

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