John Cena reveals WWE retirement plan after shock WrestleMania appearance

John Cena has confirmed when he plans to retire from the WWE.

Last weekend fans watching WrestleMania 40 were thrilled by the return of several of the company’s most iconic WWE characters.

The Rock, Cena and The Undertaker were all in the ring during the two-day show, which WWE’s chief content officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque described as "the biggest WrestleMania of all time".

Cena is one of the most beloved stars in the company’s history, having made his debut in 2001. However, in recent years he has pivoted to the world of acting, appearing in the Suicide Squad, Bumblebee and Fast & Furious 9.

Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Cena discussed his schedule and insisted he would be too busy to make a WWE return before Christmas due to shooting commitments.

However, the 46-year-old said that he hoped to return to the WWE in 2025 for one last run.

“I was grateful enough that Honda kind of bumped a commitment I had to be able to do WrestleMania,” Cena said. “I have some more branding stuff to do before I leave for Europe to finish a movie that we started filming before the strike called ‘Heads of State’.

“Then straight from that to ‘Peacemaker’ season two.

"I'm crossing my fingers that I can tell the Hollywood World to pump the brakes and I can come back to my family for one last run"

HELLL YEAH @JohnCena 👏 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/h1oi3t43Y5

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 8, 2024

“That’ll take us through just about Christmas, and I’m crossing my fingers and toes and my heart that maybe, maybe, just maybe, I can tell Hollywood to pump the brakes for a while and come back to my family for one last run.

“I hope, I don’t know, I hope, I’m trying, I hope. We’ll see what happens.”

Upon Cena’s comments circulating on social media, Cena replied to the clip and said: “[The Pat McAfee Show] is an incredible arena for big moments across sports and entertainment.

“Thanks for a great conversation about everything from #WrestleMania, flying cars, #RickyStanicky to retirement. I promise to do my best and walk the talk to set the stage for #OneLastTime.”