With his retirement match now only days away, John Cena has made it clear that he has no intention of stepping back into the ring once his career comes to an end on December 13.
John Cena appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcast from Washington, D.C., where he will face either Gunther or LA Knight in what he has confirmed will be his final bout. Speaking on the show, Cena reiterated that he is “100 per cent done” as an in-ring competitor after the match.
“23 years of performing in WWE and we are down to our last date,” Cena said. “I announced this about 15 months in advance that I am going to retire. WWE Superstars do not necessarily retire; they often find one more match. I am absolutely 100 per cent done. The 13th of December on Peacock is my last in-ring performance.”
Cena explained that he chose to reveal his retirement so far in advance because he wanted fans to have a proper farewell tour and a sense of closure. He added that he hopes the audience accepts that the match in Washington, D.C. will genuinely be his last.
Cena’s opponent will be decided on Friday’s edition of SmackDown, when Gunther and LA Knight meet in the finals of the Last Time Is Now Tournament. Cena also told Kimmel that he anticipates the match will headline the SNME card. The show will feature additional main roster versus NXT exhibition matches, an idea Cena said he pitched to help spotlight WWE’s developing talent.
“You are going to see some, technically, minor leaguers step up to the plate and see if they can make an impact,” Cena said. “On the way out, to give most of the programming to the future of the business, I think that is really cool.”
How Many Matches Has John Cena Had In His Retirement Year?
John Cena has had 17 matches so far in his retirement year, with his 18th match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 set to be his final match ever. Cena has wrestled at 11 pay-per-views this year, and on six television matches, with one of his TV matches being the May 24 Saturday Night’s Main Event TV special.
He has wrestled the likes of Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, R-Truth, CM Punk, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, and Dominik Mysterio on his road to retirement this year.
