John Cena has dropped a sizable hint about the trajectory of his final year in WWE as he prepares to say goodbye to life as a pro wrestler.
The grappler turned Hollywood star stunned fans earlier this month at Money in the Bank in Canada by announcing he’s finally hanging up his boots.
2025, he confirmed, will be his final as an active performer for WWE, indicating his desire to work a stretch of dates across the year that will see him feature regularly over the 12 months.
His exit will bring to an end one of the most accomplished and decorated tenures of any wrestler in any company, with Cena’s status as one of the greatest of all time seemingly very much established.
“I officially announce my retirement from the WWE,” he told a sold out arena and a global television audience.
“I have been doing this a while, I’ve been in WWE for over two decades. And in that time, I’ve seen incredible waves of prosperity like we’ve got right now.
“WWE is the hottest ticket in town, no doubt. And I’ve also seen tremendous hardship.
“That’s when no one knows your name, nobody wants to be a friend and only the most dedicated, hardcore fans stand by your side.
“In all those years, one of the most important, impressive things that I learned was whether the WWE was hot or cold, Canadians always show up.”
“Thank you so much for letting me play in the house you built for so many years.”
From WWE legend CM Punk to Brit upstart Joe Hendry, there has been no shortage of names putting their hand in the air to volunteer for a last crack at the legend.
Punk said minutes after the announcement, while at the Money in the Bank press conference: “…I’ve told him that if it’s going to be one more time, we gotta do it at least one more time.”
Hendry, meanwhile, who has made a major impression on WWE audiences during his cameo appearances on NXT while effectively ‘on loan’ from rival wrestling organisation TNA.
Of Cena, he commented to the Wrestling Observer: “John Cena was the first pro wrestler I ever talked to, so for me to be one of his final matches would mean a lot.”
For their part, wrestling fans themselves voted in a recent poll that a tangling with former arch rival Randy Orton would represent the perfect final WrestleMania for Cena next year.
The leader of the Cenation himself, though, appears to have thrown a nod towards a different direction thanks to what appears to be a not-so-cryptic hint posted to his Instagram profile.
To his 20.8 million followers, Cena added a photo of two cartoon-like figures, one handing a lit flame torch to another – a fairly clear acknowledgment of the wrestling adage of ‘passing the torch.’
The age-old tradition sees established stars using their stature to put a lesser or up-and-coming figure in a strong and positive light at their own expense, often meaning losing decisively in a match.
Cena already has form in this department, having been beaten at WrestleMania by youngster Austin Theory and dispatched in another high-profile match by Solo Sikoa.
“So you’re gonna pass the torch to Cody?” leapt one fan in the replies to the post, nudging Cena towards Undisputed WWE Champ Cody Rhodes.
“Give it to Roman,” added another, referring to Roman Reigns, while another simply added a picture of a smiling Hendry as another reply.
Cena has been a major player in WWE since his first televised matcha against Kurt Angle back in 2002, winning plaudits and championships aplenty in the two decades since.