John Cena has revealed that his original WWE retirement tour plans were far more ambitious than what ultimately played out on television this year.
Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, John Cena said he initially hoped to commit to a full year on the road, working a schedule far heavier than the three dozen appearances he actually made in 2025. He explained that his work commitments outside WWE made the idea impossible. Cena described travelling between film sets in Budapest, Morocco and the United States while trying to balance WWE dates.
“You [think you] can do it because I will sleep on the plane or whatever. You do not. It does not happen, then you get upside down, and you are super fatigued, but I threaded the needle just enough,” he said.
He then admitted he had originally pushed for a complete WWE calendar.
“The plan, originally, was to do a full year. This just goes to show my ignorance in the business. I wanted to do 220 dates. Just take a year off everything, hop on a bus, do a full WWE calendar, and totally say goodbye. Thank goodness the business is not like that anymore, because I would be like if you took a gingerbread man and broke him. I would be done. They only needed me for 36.”
John Cena is set for his final match on December 13 at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C. He will face Gunther, who earned the spot by defeating Je’Von Evans, Carmelo Hayes, Solo Sikoa, and LA Knight in the “Last Time Is Now” tournament.
How Many Times Has John Cena Wrestled On His WWE Retirement Tour?
John Cena has wrestled a total of 17 times so far on his 2025 WWE retirement tour, with his 18th and final match ever, set for Saturday Night’s Main Event against Gunther on December 13.
Cena kicked off his retirement year by competing in the Royal Rumble on February 1, and was one of the final two men left in the match, but was eliminated by Jey Uso. However, he won the Elimination Chamber match on March 1, earning a title shot against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41, which he went on to win.
Cena defended the title once against CM Punk at Night of Champions before losing it back to Rhodes at SummerSlam. Cena has also won the Intercontinental Title this year, making him a Grand Slam Champion in his final year with the company.
