"[It] Would Destroy Me Right Now": John Cena Talks More About Why He Has To Retire From WWE This Year

"[It] Would Destroy Me Right Now": John Cena Talks More About Why He Has To Retire From WWE This Year

Ahead of his match against Cody Rhodes yesterday evening at SummerSlam, John Cena opened up on why this is the year he has to retire from WWE and why he can no longer cope with a full-time schedule...

By JoshWilding - Aug 04, 2025 06:08 AM EST
Filed Under: WWE

John Cena will end his WWE career at the end of 2025, and while that's going to be a sad moment, he's appeared so sporadically in recent years that fans are largely prepared for his time in the ring to conclude. 

The prevailing theory among many fans is that Cena wants to focus even more on his Hollywood career, though he's also talked openly and honestly about no longer being at the top of his game as a professional wrestler.

Talking to Stephanie McMahon on her "What’s Your Story?" podcast, Cena explained that his health and relationship with his wife are among the biggest factors in his decision to hang up his jorts. 

"The greatest gift is waking up," the 48-year-old future WWE Hall of Famer said. "And that is the tip of my spear, and right below that is my bride. So, hey, am I running right? Great. Are we running right? Great. I’ll figure everything else out."

"I have more than myself to think about. There are goals that I want to have that don’t land on the canvas," Cena continued. "I want to be able to move around, so I have to kind of hedge on the risks that I take, which means I’m hedged on the moves I can do, and I’m also a little bit more worn."

"If you want to be full time in this, that’s a difficult juggling act. Just from the way I invest in this...it is tough to carry people along with you. It is like they need to ride the wave. They can’t run next to you," he explained. "And am I running right? A schedule like I was doing in 2013 would destroy me right now."

"It will ruin me and ruin my relationship. And that’s the tip of my spear," Cena concluded. "So I gotta close the chapter."

During last night's SummerSlam, Cena lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes and was attacked by a returning Brock Lesnar. That set the stage for a babyface Cena to feud with the heel Beast, but the identity of Cena's final opponent remains a mystery to us.

Check out the full interview with Cena, along with highlights from SummerSlam, below. 

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