John Cena sets timeline for WWE retirement and names dream final venue
Entertainment Tonight.John Cena has revealed he plans to retire from wrestling by the time he hits 50, putting a countdown of three more years on his storied WWE tenure.
Cena made his WWE debut in 2002 against Kurt Angle and has been a major player in the company ever since.
The 16-time World Champion – a joint record he holds with Ric Flair – was a mainstay at the top of the card for over 15 years but began to reduce his schedule in 2018 to focus on his pursuit of an acting career, following in the footsteps of Dwayne ‘The Rock Johnson and Dave Bautista.
Cena has enjoyed immense success, starring as Peacemaker in James Gunn’s Suicide Squad and the titular series as well as becoming a key figure in the Fast and Furious franchise.
However, he has always maintained a great love for WWE and has continued to wrestle at least once a year despite his other commitments. Yet, Cena, who turns 47 in April, believes time is now ticking on his career and he plans to hang up the boots for good within three years.
Cena names dream farewell venue
“I made a promise to the consumer early on, to WWE fans, ’cause I know how tough it is to be a fan,” Cena told Entertainment Tonight while promoting his new film Argyle in London.
“You gotta come out of pocket – and WWE has a ton of content – it takes a lot to be a passionate fan and our fanbase is passionate and global. I never wanted to go out there just for the sake of going out there. And I’m gonna be 47 this year.
“I feel great. So inside I feel great, but I know what it takes to be a WWE performer night in and night out and I don’t ever wanna just go out there and do it to do it.
“I wanna have the passion – the same passion as the fanbase – and I wanna give them exactly what they give me. The miles on the speedometer say, ‘Hey, that’s gotta be done before 50, [that’s] the timeline I’ve put on myself.
“It’s tough to juggle both because, you know, when you’re filming Argylle, Matthew [Vaughn] won’t let you go do anything else because of insurance. So as long as the phone keeps ringing and we’ve had some good opportunities here, I’ll kind of preserve that for as long as I can.
“But even coming back for these one-at-a-time things or short three-month periods, it takes its toll more and more and I’ve just had an incredibly fortunate run with my health. I feel great. I just want to continue to feel great the rest of my life.”
However, Cena does concede he may find it difficult to stick to retirement, as so many wrestlers have in the past. He added: “I’ve never missed a year, and as long as I can perform, I don’t intend to miss a year.
“But when I say I’m done – in WWE, they say never say never and a lot of people retire and come back – I’m just being honest with myself. There’s such a great new generation now as well. It’s time to pass the electric energy on to the folks that can be there every day.”
In a separate interview with the BBC’s The One Show, Cena surprisingly named London’s 02 Arena as the ideal venue for his final match.
“Fans in the UK, WWE fans, they’re the best and fans in London specifically they will let you know how they feel,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll be able to choose my opponent but if I could choose a venue it’d be the O2 in London.”