John Cena says WWE retirement tour will be ‘fun,’ not bittersweet

John Cena is looking forward to having fun on his WWE retirement tour.

In an interview with Extra, Cena said his decision to retire from in-ring competition is not a bittersweet one. He’s grateful to be retiring at a time where he still has his health. Instead of having an injury cut his career short, Cena is able to tell fans ahead of time that he’s retiring. He wants the fans to get loud and rowdy when they see him for the last time.

“It’s going to be fun. And not bittersweet for me, it’s going to be fun. I’m so grateful that I’m in a position where I still have my health and I’m able to carve out a large section of time and perform for a year from January until December,” Cena said. “And give everyone also a heads-up. A lot of times in WWE, sometimes injuries force retirement all of a sudden. So one day you’re there and then the next day you’re gone. Or sometimes you just say you’re retiring and it’s part of the bit, like you want to attack somebody and get a shot at the championship.

“This is my way, for an audience that has made me who I am after 22-23 years of investment, to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to give you six months, that’s your warning. And then in January we’re going on tour and then in December I’m hanging them up. So let’s all get together at various spots around the world the next calendar year and get loud and rowdy one more time.'”

Cena made a surprise appearance at Money in the Bank last month and announced that 2025 will be the final year of his in-ring career. The number of dates he’s planning to work from January through December is “in the mid-30s to 40s.”

The most recent match that Cena took part in was on the Raw after WrestleMania 40 this April. He teamed with The Miz & R-Truth in a victory over Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh.

Extra’s interview with Cena was to promote his new movie “Jackpot!,” which will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video starting on August 15.