John Cena says he will retire from WWE before he turns 50

John Cena says he plans to retire from WWE before his 50th birthday. 

Cena, 46, expounded on some recent comments that his time with WWE is winding down in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight released Tuesday. “That’s not a maybe. That time is gonna come and it’s gonna come soon,” said Cena.

In speaking about the end of his career, Cena said that he has a self-imposed timeline for winding down his WWE run: 

“I made a promise to the consumer early on, to WWE fans, ’cause I know how tough it is to be a fan. You gotta come out of pocket — and WWE has a ton of content — it takes a lot to be a passionate fan and our fanbase is passionate and global. I never wanted to go out there just for the sake of going out there. And I’m gonna be 47 this year. I feel great. So inside I feel great, but I know what it takes to be a WWE performer night in and night out and I don’t ever wanna just go out there and do it to do it. I wanna have the passion — the same passion as the fanbase — and I wanna give them exactly what they give me. The miles on the speedometer say, ‘Hey, that’s gotta be done before 50.'”

Cena will turn 47 on April 23. 

The comments on his wrestling career winding down came as Cena was promoting his Argylle film set to release in theaters in the United States on Friday, February 2.

During 2023’s SAG-AFTRA strike, Cena retuned to WWE for a run of two-plus months culminating with a loss to Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia last November.