Despite the common jokes, you can still see John Cena in a WWE ring from time to time at the moment. But if he has his way, that’s not going to be true for all that much longer.
There’s no question that Cena is much closer to the end of his wrestling career than the beginning, but it turns out he’s actually given some thought to when he’d like to retire from WWE. He stated earlier this year that he plans to call it quits before age 50, and he hasn’t changed his mind since then.
While appearing on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Cena said he’d like to have his last match before age 50 (and he’s nearly 47), but if he doesn’t, that milestone birthday will definitely be it (h/t Wrestling Observer for the transcription).
You know what, 50 is my absolute line in the sand. I would like to try to do it before that. But at 50 I’m just going to tweet, ‘Peace out, see ya.’ That’s it, I’m good.
Cena has famously appeared in at least one televised WWE match every year for more than two decades, though he cut it close at the end of 2022, wrestling on the Dec. 30 episode of SmackDown. He’s yet to have any in-ring action in 2024, though he’s teased some kind of role at WrestleMania 40 next month.
And while his acting career has certainly taken off in a way that consumes much more of his time, Cena pointed to other areas of his life that he’d like to focus on as he heads toward the end of his 40s.
I was very much driven where WWE was my passion 24/7. And I’m very grateful, but I’ve grown and there’s a lot of other avenues I’m curious about in life. And certainly being a great husband and partner is one of those. So I just want to try to do what I can in those avenues.
It’ll be a somewhat surreal day when Cena finally decides he’s wrestled for the last time, but it sounds like it’s not that far off. WWE fans should cherish every time he steps in the ring from here on out, because there might not be that many more times left.
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