John Cena nearing WWE retirement?

You can’t see him but his time for retirement may soon be now, as 16-time WWE world champion John Cena says he can see hanging up the boots – and jorts – in his future.

Speaking with People, John Cena said bidding farewell to the squared circle is imminent. “I turned [46] this past year and I don’t have much time left in the WWE…I think it’s just the demand of the age.” As for how and when he thinks his wrestling career will be over, he added, “You know, I’m trying to figure out when to close that chapter.”

Based on the fact that John Cena has been a part-time free agent (not to be confused with Freelance wrestler) for quite some time now – his most recent match was a loss at November’s Crown Jewel – it wouldn’t be a surprise if 2024 was his year for departing WWE. Then again, retirement has surrounded Cena for a few years now. He most recently brought it up last month, telling the crowd at Raw that it had been over 2,000 days since he last won a televised match, prompting him to consider retirement. This was met with cheers of admiration, leading to an about-face that found Cena declaring, “I believe that the time is now to turn the math around!”

When John Cena plans to turn it around in WWE remains to be seen but with Royal Rumble just weeks away, he could end up being a surprise entrant. Even if he doesn’t head to WrestleMania through a victory at Rumble (the winner of the headlining match gets a title shot at WM), it feels like a given that he will appear at WrestleMania XL in April. Cena has definitely had matches that felt they would put him in retirement, namely his WrestleMania 39 loss to Austin Theory. While it was a bit sloppy, it would have fit the tradition of passing the torch to the next generation.

John Cena made his WWE television debut on June 27th, 2002, accepting an open challenge from Kurt Angle. While Cena lost, the match was so monumental to his career that it was featured in his Showcase Mode in WWE 2K23.

Do you think it’s time for John Cena to leave WWE? What is your favorite match of his? Let us know below!