World Wrestling Entertainment icon John Cena says he’s calling it quits in 2025 after a momentous 20-year career.
Cena — who won the WWE championship belt a whopping 16 times — made his startling announcement during Saturday’s Money in the Bank event at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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As he stood in the ring with a mic in hand, Cena addressed the packed crowd, telling them, “Tonight, I officially announce my retirement from WWE.”
Suddenly, the audience began chanting, “No!” while flashing hand gestures to reflect their disappointment before going silent.
Cena continued, saying he’d been with WWE for two decades and had seen it all. He said WWE was currently going through its most prosperous period – but he also recalled some bad times when “nobody wants to be your friend and only the most dedicated fans stand by your side.”
Cena then gave props to the Canadian fans for “always showing up” and helping build the WWE into what it is today. He also pointed to a historical first – Netflix’s exclusive partnership with WWE Raw, which will launch in 2025.
After promising to be involved in that venture, Cena told everyone that next year’s Wrestlemania 41 in Las Vegas would mark his final WWE appearance. Then he thanked his many supporters, who clapped and shouted, “Thank you Cena.”
After the Money in the Bank event, Cena took questions at a press conference, somewhat clarifying his position on why he retired. He said it was not up to him, but he approached WWE executives with the idea. He also said the WWE initiated talks, thinking “this would be a great span of time if we were ever gonna do it.”
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But, Cena didn’t go into specifics so his message was a bit muddled, although he did leave the door open to come back to WWE in the future.
Finally, Cena refused to discuss former WWE CEO Vince McMahon, who has been dogged by allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault.