WWE legend does not think John Cena should retire (Exclusive)

John Cena announced at Money in the Bank 2024 that he plans to retire from in-ring competition in late 2025. In an exclusive interview, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler doubted whether the veteran wrestler is making the right decision.

Cena was one of WWE's top full-time attractions for over a decade before reducing his wrestling schedule in the mid-2010s to focus on acting. The 47-year-old is a 16-time world champion, a record he shares with two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Lawler explained why he does not think Cena should retire:

"No, I don't think anybody should ever retire. There's too many things you can do without using the word retire. When I hear about somebody retiring, I look for them to die pretty soon, so I would never say that he's gonna retire." [1:28 – 1:57]

Watch the video above to hear Lawler's thoughts on Roman Reigns' return and Cody Rhodes' Undisputed WWE Championship victory.

---

Jerry Lawler on the difference between John Cena and Terry Funk

Many wrestlers have come out of retirement to compete again several years after their in-ring careers ended. Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels famously returned to the ring, while Terry Funk was well known for reversing his retirement decision multiple times.

Jerry Lawler added that Funk still had plans to step back into the ring shortly before passing away at the age of 79 in 2023:

"Terry kept talking about them [making comebacks] right up until he died. His health got so bad but, I mean, look how old he was. He hung in there a while and I never looked for him to say he'd retired because up until he died he talked about having a comeback match against me!" [2:30 – 3:01]

In a separate interview, former WWE writer Vince Russo recently addressed whether John Cena could join a new Vince McMahon-led wrestling promotion.

Do you think John Cena will stay retired after 2025? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

---

Please credit Sportskeeda WrestleBinge and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.