John Cena's father comments on his impending retirement from WWE (Exclusive)

Modified Jan 21, 2025 06:39 GMT

John Cena kicked off his WWE retirement on RAW — John Cena. [Image via WWE.com]

John Cena kicked off his WWE retirement tour on RAW's Netflix premiere. The Cenation Leader announced he plans to win his 17th world title by competing at the upcoming 2025 Royal Rumble PLE.

Speaking on a recent edition of What Were They Thinking? on Backstage Pass, John Cena Sr. was asked to share his thoughts on his son's impending retirement from WWE.

"I can't speak for John. I've never discussed why or how come. But I think, you all know, being in the business, that you know when you've had enough. And I guess his theory is, 'If I can't go the way I used to go and perform the way I used to perform, then maybe it is time to step back.'"

He continued:

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"And, you know, when you look at that 2000s streak he's had with all those matches, I guess you got to sit back and really do some thinking. I certainly don't want to see him go. But I think there reaches a time in everybody's life when you know when it is time to go." [From 01:37 onwards]

John Cena is likely to make his in-ring return at the Royal Rumble. It remains to be seen if the former two-time Royal Rumble winner can make it to three on February 1, 2025.

Get the full episode of What Were They Thinking? with JBL and Gerald Brisco on Backstage Pass. You can also unlock our exclusive content via YouTube membership.

About the author

Manik Aftab writes Exclusive articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling’s WWE division. A BA (Hons) in English Literature helped him improve his writing skills before starting his career as a pro wrestling writer.

Before joining Sportskeeda, Aftab worked for Ringside News and The Sportster, where his wrestling articles and feature pieces consistently ranked on the first page of Google SERPs.

He prioritizes accuracy, relevance, and ethics in his reporting by conducting thorough research, verifying sources, and adhering to professional journalistic standards.

While Aftab’s favorite wrestler in AEW is Hangman Adam Page, he doesn’t have a favorite in WWE yet. However, he considers Stone Cold Steve Austin to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. His earliest memory of watching pro wrestling was when The Rock faced The New Age Outlaws in a handicap match, but it was the John Cena vs. Edge match from Unforgiven 2006 that got him hooked. If given the chance to manage a star from the Attitude Era, he would choose The British Bulldog, as he believes Davey Boy Smith was a terrific worker and could've benefitted from having a mouthpiece for his lack of mic skills.

When not watching pro wrestling, Aftab enjoys reading science fiction and watching anime.

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Edited by Angana Roy