John Cena’s WWE retirement may have felt emotional and sudden for fans, but according to the 17-time world champion himself, the decision was made years ago.
Balancing his acting commitments with WWE obligations became one of the biggest challenges of his final run. In his previous interview with Chris Van Vliet, Cena detailed the headache of filming major projects overseas while still trying to appear at WWE PLEs.
Besides travel, the biggest issue was insurance. Cena explained that movie studios are often hesitant to let actors wrestle while under contract due to the injury risk. If he got hurt in the ring, film productions could be delayed, which could cost millions for studios.
To keep his promise to WWE, Cena admitted that he sometimes paid for his own insurance so he could safely make his limited appearances, and avoiding injury became a top priority throughout 2025.
John Cena Says WWE Retirement Was A Multi-Year Decision
While promoting his upcoming action movie Matchbox, Cena opened up about the long, strategically planned path to the end of his in-ring career. The WWE legend, who tapped out to Gunther in his retirement match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, revealed that the whole process took about three years.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cena explained that the idea of a farewell tour was pitched well before fans ever heard about it publicly. “This was a process that took like 3 years. I had the idea, pitched the idea. 15 months later, we announced the tour, and then a year, we had the tour,” he said.
Cena acknowledged that walking away from WWE is difficult because performing for the audience is something he wishes he could do forever. Still, he believes recognizing the right time to step aside is part of being a professional.
“So, I did have plenty of time to get into a space that like, ‘Okay, my in-ring performance for WWE is over.’ I’m happy that…I thought we did an incredible year of business and certainly the audience has talked about it and I’m very grateful for that,” he added.
Now that he doesn’t need to worry about wrestling commitments and in-ring injuries, Cena’s focus shifts fully to Hollywood. The WWE legend stars in a live-action Mattel-inspired movie, Matchbox, where he plays an undercover CIA agent. The movie will premiere on October 9, 2026, on Apple TV.
Read More: Nikki Bella Says Seeing John Cena Backstage Felt Awkward at First
