The phrase “It’s the end of an era” gets bantied about often in wrestling – so often, it’s become a cliche. However, it thoroughly applies to news coming out of WWE’s Money In the Bank live event.
This past Saturday, one of the biggest stars of his generation, John Cena, made a surprise appearance at the show in Toronto. He had a lot to say when he hit the ring, but the substance of his speech was apparent from the second he stepped through the curtain.
Cena carried with him a new piece of merchandise – a commemorative red towel that said “THE LAST TIME IS NOW.”
He played to the crowd a little, but cut right to the chase and announced he is hanging up his caps, pump-up shoes, and ports in 2025.
Cena added that his last few matches will be at the biggest events in the first quarter of the year – The Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania, where he said his final in-ring performance will take place.
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He also promised to show up at the first episode of RAW when the flagship show moves to Netflix. What he is going to do hasn’t been revealed yet, though WWE Creative likely has a plan in place.
Cena bookended his announcement at the post-show press conference where he answered the question of how his retirement and the timing came together.
It turns out he approached the company with the idea and they circled back and called him with the suggestion of 2025 because it felt like an opportune point.
With his old rival Dwayne “The Rock“ Johnson on the Board of Directors, it might be appropriate for the two to have one more match. However, when the possibility was brought up Cena sounded open yet uncertain.
He responded that he doesn’t take stock in things out of his control, but the existence of “unfinished business” always leaves that door open.
Why Cena Is Retiring
But why now? It’s clear Cena would keep on wrestling, even part time, if he could based on his demeanor during his MITB speech. However, his decision is guided by a few factors.
The standard explanations of age and injury accumulation apply, but there’s a bigger, more salient reason that can be summed up with one word: Peacemaker.
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The fact is Cena’s acting career is eating up more and more of his time, and the DCU he’s already part of kicks off in earnest in the coming year.
How large his stake in it compared to David Corenswet’s Superman and the Creature Commandos remains to be seen, but it has to be sizable if he is choosing now to retire from wrestling.
