By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
John Cena announced that he will retire from in-ring competition in 2025 as he draws the curtains on his legendary WWE career.
Cena made the announcement during a surprise appearance at WWE Money in the Bank in Toronto, Canada on Monday.
As he made his entrance, Cena showed a towel which said ‘The Last Time Is Now’ and his shirt had ‘John Cena Farewell Tour 2025’.
Addressing the crowd after making a surprise entry, Cena said, “I’ve been in the WWE for over two decades and in that time, I’ve seen incredible waves of prosperity like we got right now. WWE is the hottest ticket in town no doubt, but I have also seen true hardship, that’s when no one knows your name, nobody wants to be your friend and only the most dedicated and hardcore fans stand by your side”.
“So, in all those years, one of the most important and impressive things I learned is whether the WWE is hot or cold, Canadians always show up,” he added.
The 16-time world champion revealed that the 2025 Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas would be his last. He also added that he wants to be involved when Raw moves to Netflix in January.
Following his debut in June 2002, he has gone on to become one of the most decorated superstars in the company’s history and was the face of the company through the ‘Ruthless Aggression’ and the PG era.
However, since 2018, he has adopted a more part-time role in the company to focus on his film career, following the footsteps of his rival, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. But he has still made time for some brief cameos with his latest being in the main event of WrestleMania 40 where he helped take down The Rock and allow Cody Rhodes to beat Roman Reigns to win the WWE championship.