John Cena on WWE Retirement: 'I Know It's Soon' amid Rumors of Future Schedule
September 2, 2023
Following his WWE return on Friday night's episode of Raw, John Cena acknowledged that he likely doesn't have much time left during his WWE career.
Speaking to Cathy Kelley in a backstage interview, Cena said he knows his swan song in WWE is coming "soon."
"Every single chance I get to go out there, it becomes more and more special," Cena said. "There's no denying the fact that I'm 46 and staring down 47. I've been here for over two decades, so as I've said before out there in the ring, the last one is not tonight, but I know it's soon."
Cena, who shares the all-time record for most major world titles reigns in pro wrestling history with Ric Flair at 16, has only made sporadic appearances for WWE in recent years due to his status as a rising star in Hollywood.
Amid the SAG-AFTRA strike, Cena is back in WWE for at least the next two months, as he is advertised for eight SmackDown appearances through Oct. 28.
On Friday's SmackDown, Cena cut a promo and was confronted by Jimmy Uso, who he laid out with an Attitude Adjustment.
Cena also announced that he will be the host of Saturday night's WWE Payback premium live event in Pittsburgh, which could potentially set the stage of the rivalries and matches he will be involved with during his current stint with the company.
His most recent match was a loss to Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39 in April, and he later started a feud with Grayson Waller when Waller interrupted him during a promo at Money in the Bank in July.
For well over a decade, Cena was the unquestioned face of WWE, and while Roman Reigns has take over in that regard, Cena remains a huge deal whenever he shows up on WWE programming.
As Cena mentioned, he is getting up there in age and typically has tons of other outside projects, so there may not be many more opportunities for him to have extended runs with WWE.
With that in mind, fans figure to savor Cena's appearances over the next couple of months, and it stands to reason that Cena will be given carte blanche to work with the performers he wants to before he returns to his other commitments.
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