John Cena Plans To Be Done With Wrestling By The Time He’s 50, Says That’s His Timeline

John Cena provides an update on his future.

John Cena provides an update on his future.

John Cena made his WWE debut in 2002, and he went on to become one of the top stars the company had ever seen. He is a 16-time world champion, but he has transitioned into a successful Hollywood career in recent years. Cena has returned multiple times during this portion of his career, and he had a sustained run in the fall of 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. He last appeared on WWE programming at WWE Crown Jewel 2023, where he lost to Solo Sikoa.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner, John Cena, 46, emphasized that the end of his in-ring career is coming.

“That’s not a maybe. That time is gonna come and it’s gonna come soon. I made a promise to the consumer early on, to WWE fans, ’cause I know how tough it is to be a fan. 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,” Cena said.

Cena went on to discuss the difficulties of jugging his acting career with his work in WWE. He noted that he’s not allowed to go take any bumps while he is filming due to insurance. Cena stated that he feels great now, and he wants to stay that way.

“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,” Cena said.

Cena was then asked if he plans to occasionally get involved in wrestling after he retires, like The Rock. He replied by pointing out that he has had a match every year for 23 years, and as long as he can perform, he intends to keep that streak going.

In a recent interview, Cena said he hopes to be a mentor or coach for WWE someday. Check out his comments here.

It is not known when John Cena will return to WWE programming. Fightful will provide more information as it becomes available.