Entertainment · Celebrity · 2 hrs ago
John Cena Says He Did Not Retire From WWE on His Own Terms
John Cena says he wanted to wrestle forever, rejecting the idea that his WWE retirement happened on his own terms.
He retired in December 2025 after tapping out to GUNTHER in a planned match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
The match closed a year-long retirement tour that included his 17th run with a world championship.
In an interview ahead of his film Matchbox: The Movie, Cena said he had to accept that it was time to leave, even though he wanted to continue.
His comments show that the decision was shaped by limits beyond his control, not simply by a wish to choose his own ending.
Since retiring, Cena has become the face of WWE’s Club WWE brand and announced a tournament pairing NXT wrestlers with main-roster stars, reportedly planned for December.
John Cena said he did not retire from WWE on his own terms, despite public claims that he did.
He said he would like to continue wrestling indefinitely but recognized it was time to step away.
Cena retired after losing to GUNTHER in a planned match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in December 2025.
The match followed a year-long retirement tour that included Cena’s 17th world championship run.
- Who
- John Cena and WWE.
- What
- Cena said he did not retire from WWE on his own terms. He said he wanted to continue wrestling but knew it was time to step away.
- When
- He discussed his retirement during a recent media tour ahead of the release of Matchbox: The Movie.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- Cena said he wanted to keep wrestling indefinitely, but had to be realistic and recognized it was time to step away.
People who said Cena retired on his own terms
John Cena
Whether the retirement was on his own terms
People who said Cena retired on his own terms
They said he was doing it on his own terms.
John Cena
Cena rejected that view, saying he wanted to wrestle forever and that his own terms would be to continue indefinitely.
Cena lost to GUNTHER in his planned retirement match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Cena discussed his WWE retirement on Happy Sad Confused while promoting Matchbox: The Movie.
- Retirement match
- WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
- Opponent
- GUNTHER
- Match result
- Cena tapped out to GUNTHER’s sleeper hold
- Retirement tour
- Year-long
- World championship run
- Cena’s 17th
What people are saying
Bulls***. I want to do it forever.
I want to continue to do it. But, I gotta be realistic and look at the math and be like, 'Okay, it's time to step away.