John Cena To Retire By April 2027

After recently stating that he is forming an exit strategy to finish his WWE in-ring career, John Cena has confirmed he will be retiring from professional wrestling by the time he turns 50. 

"That's not a maybe. That time is gonna come and it's gonna come soon," Cena told Entertainment Tonight. "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, 2024 so he will be calling it a career by April 2027. This could mean that Cena has his retirement match at WrestleMania 43. 

Cena has been part-time with WWE since 2017, instead focusing on his acting career. He returned to the company for a two-month full-time run in 2023 during the SAG-AFTRA Strike, exiting WWE programming once again after putting over Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel.