'I gotta walk away,' - John Cena opens up on his decision to retire

Overview

• John Cena appeared in an official interview hosted by WWE before his final match at SNME, which was released on December 8
• The Leader of the Cenation Army spoke about his decision to retire as an active wrestler
• He claimed that not being able to move well enough in the ring has led to his decision to retire

John Cena appeared in an official interview hosted by WWE before his final match at SNME, which was released on December 8. The Leader of the Cenation Army spoke about his decision to retire as an active wrestler. He claimed that not being able to move well enough in the ring has led to his decision to retire.

In the interview, Cena revealed that his decision to retire isn't on his terms. The 17-time world champion said that if it was possible, he would have wrestled for eternity. However, he noted the need to walk away while he's still doing well enough.

Also Read: Why was Jey Uso moved back to the tag team division?

"I'm not going out on my own terms. If I could do this in infinity, I would do it. I made a promise to the fan base when I started that when I got a step slower, I gotta walk away. Yeah, I could probably squeeze out more matches, but at what cost? I do harm to myself, I do harm to the product, and you as a fan you leave feeling bad or sad," Cena said.

"We're all just kind of closing a chapter of an era in sports entertainment," - John Cena

The veteran felt the need to put an end to his career without extending it. He felt doing it would mean letting the fans and product down. John noted that his retirement match would close a chapter in the history of sports entertainment.

Also Check: Why was LA Knight written off TV on WWE Raw, December 8, 2025?

"We can take the eyes that care about showing up to our show and expose them to the future and what's next. Yes, it's my last match, but it's collectively we're all just kind of closing a chapter of an era in sports entertainment," Cena added in his statement.