World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar John Cena announced Saturday at the Money in the Bank event in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena that he plans to retire after his final match at WrestleMania 41.
WWE shared the news through X (formerly known as Twitter), confirming Cena’s in-ring retirement will take place in 2025. WrestleMania 41 is scheduled for April 19-20, 2025 in Las Vegas. (RELATED: John Cena Launches OnlyFans Account — What On Earth?)
BREAKING NEWS: John Cena announced at #MITB he will retire from in-ring competition in 2025.#ThankYouCena pic.twitter.com/6TPnYI5iU2
— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2024
After Sami Zayn defended the Intercontinental Championship against Bron Breakker, WWE Hall of Famer and event host Trish Stratus introduced a surprise guest. Cena then walked into the arena to roaring applause, Forbes reported.
“Why am I here? Tonight I officially announce my retirement from the WWE,” Cena told the crowd. The crowd reportedly cheered in response to the announcement.
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 23: John Cena enters the ring at the WWE SummerSlam 2015 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images)
“In the vein of ultimate opportunity, I wanted to take advantage of one right here, right now with me I want to say thank you,” Cena said on why he chose to announce so early. “This farewell does not end tonight. It is filled with opportunity. Everybody, RAW makes history next year when it moves to Netflix. I’ve never been a part of RAW on Netflix. That is history. That is a first and I will be there.”
He confirmed that WrestleMania 41, a two-night event at Allegiant Stadium, would mark his farewell. Cena did not specify who his opponents would be, but lay down a challenge to the rest of the lineup.
“If you’re a WWE superstar, if you want some, hurry up and come get some,” Cena said.
