John Cena made a surprise appearance at WWE's Money in the Bank pay-per-view in Toronto on Saturday night and announced some big news. The 16-time world champion stated that he will retire from professional wrestling in 2025 and that he will take part in a series of bouts over the next calendar year as part of a retirement tour.
Cena confirmed that he will appear on the Netflix premiere episode of Monday Night Raw on January 6, as well as the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 41 2025 pay-per-views, but did not elaborate on what he will be doing what he does at these shows or who his opponents might be. During the post-show press conference, Cena confirmed that he would be working on “30 to 40 dates” through December 2025.
While his acting career was on the rise, Cena moved to a part-time role with WWE in 2018, but has competed in a number of high-profile matches in the years since. His final televised match occurred on the April 8 episode of Raw, when he arrived as a surprise partner for The Awesome Truth as they faced The Judgment Day in a six-man tag team match.
Although he did not compete at WrestleMania XL, Cena was one of the many wrestlers who helped Cody Rhodes defeat Roman Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Championship in the show's main event.
Cena emphasized that he has no intention of wrestling again after the tour. He also stated that although his time as an in-ring competitor has come to an end, his relationship with WWE will continue for many years to come.
