John Cena has admitted that his retirement from WWE wasn’t entirely on his terms, saying he would have preferred to keep wrestling indefinitely.
The 17-time world champion ended his legendary in-ring career in December 2025, losing to Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. John Cena submitted to Gunther’s sleeper hold in the middle of the ring, bringing an emotional conclusion to his year-long retirement tour.
His final year also featured a controversial heel turn, his first in decades, and a record-breaking 17th world championship reign. Although Cena had planned his departure from professional wrestling, he has now explained that retirement was not necessarily what he wanted.
John Cena Reveals Why He Really Retired From WWE
During an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast to promote Matchbox: The Movie, John Cena discussed the similarities between his wrestling and acting careers. The former WWE Champion described both professions as fragile, acknowledging that neither guarantees longevity. He also challenged the perception that he had retired from WWE entirely on his own terms.
“If I have my own story to paint and doing it on my own terms, I’d like to do this forever,” Cena said.
“When I retired from WWE, everybody’s like, ‘Man, you’re doing it on your own terms.’ Bulls***. I want to do it forever. I know that it’s time to go. It is within my values. I said, ‘I want to do good work and I want to leave doing good work, but my own terms are to do it infinity.’ 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.”
Cena’s comments suggest that while he accepted the decision to retire, his passion for professional wrestling had not diminished. Rather than continuing beyond the point where he felt he could perform to his standards, Cena chose to conclude his career while he believed he could still deliver quality performances.
Despite stepping away from in-ring competition, Cena has maintained his relationship with WWE. He has become the face of the company’s exclusive Club WWE brand and recently announced the John Cena Classic, a tournament featuring competitors from NXT and WWE’s main roster. The tournament has reportedly been discussed for December, although its schedule has not been officially confirmed.
