John Cena Gives Further Details On Retirement Tour Coming Together, Having A Business Plan And Being Told By WWE ‘That’s Not Our Business’

At WWE Money in the Bank 2024, John Cena announced that 2025 would be his last year in wrestling and that he would retire in December.

Cena was announced for 36 dates ahead of his final year.

Speaking to Tom Rinaldi for WWE, Cena was asked when he knew 2025 was going to be his final year.

“The fact that I thought I was going to have this year completely off. For the longest, I’ve been a part-time piece. Sometimes, I come back just to deliver the opening monologue. That is the toughest spot in what we do. To come out for 15-20 minutes, tell the audience what they’re going to get, and not deliver anything else. Not have a confrontational war of words, no physicality. Show up with the equity you’ve built, hope they enjoy, and go through 16 talking points, somehow weave the energy of the crowd, not killing house for the matches about to follow. It’s a very tough spot. I could kind of see the writing on the wall. ‘We need you to come back. We want you to open the show.’ ‘Of course you do. I will do it, but you’re right.’ The situations where I can come back is a lot more of a good back. I’ve been paired with new talent since 2013. Just looking at the calendar, I’m 48. I thought I would have this year with minimal commitments and I began to say, ‘Something is going to happen this year or I have to post on X that I’m going to retire.’ Either one is okay. When I was presented with, ‘We can do this or this.’ Finally, I just said, ‘It’s either this year or we don’t do it, and I’d like to do it,'” he said.

Cena reiterated that he initially wanted to do 200+ dates because that was the WWE he was used to, but that’s not the way things work anymore as WWE has cut down on live events.

“It was also a great exercise in, just because I think it’s good, doesn’t mean that’s what we’re doing. I had this whole…I pitched “X” and specs and ‘This is what I think the projected revenue is. Not just talking WWE story out of my butt. ‘Hey, I think this is a good business plan.’ ‘That’s not our business.’ Okay, I just torch that plan. ‘This is our business. Would you like to do this?’ ‘That’d be great if I can balance this.’ What a great exercise in just because you think you have a good idea, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. It means you think it’s a good idea. It got us to here and it’s a cool spot to be in,” he said.

Cena’s final date will be on December 13th when he faces Gunther in his final match.

While making the media rounds, Cena commented on his heel turn. You can find his full comments here.

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