Former WWE Champion John Cena has become more and more of an honorary figure in WWE, his in-ring appearances dwindling with each passing year, leading many to wonder when the pro-wrestler-turned-Hollywood star will finally be calling it a career in sports entertainment. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cena made it clear that the end is near.

“I never wanted to go out there just for the sake of going out there,” Cena said on the press tour for his latest film, “Argylle.” “I’m gonna be 47 this year. I feel great. So inside I feel great, but I know what it takes to be a WWE performer night in and night out and I don’t ever wanna just go out there and do it to do it. I wanna have the passion — the same passion as the fanbase — and I wanna give them exactly what they give me. The miles on this odometer say, ‘Hey, that’s gotta be done before 50.'”

Cena reiterated that he can’t perform in the ring while shooting films for insurance reasons, meaning that outside of extenuating circumstances (like the SAG-AFTRA strike that led to his most recent run) there’s no chance of him returning to WWE full-time.

“As long as the phone keeps ringing and we’ve had some good opportunities here, I’ll kind of preserve that for as long as I can,” he said. “But even coming back for these one-at-a-time things or short three-month periods, it takes its toll more and more, and I’ve just had an incredibly fortunate run with my health. I feel great. I just want to continue to feel great the rest of my life.”

When asked if he would be in Philadelphia for WrestleMania 40, Cena played coy, saying he may or may not be free that weekend. He also left things somewhat unclear about what exactly the end of his WWE career would look like. On the one hand, he was firm in his determination to continue his streak of 23 straight years with at least one WWE match even after retirement, saying “I’ve never missed a year, and as long as I can perform, I don’t intend to miss a year.” But he also wants to make room for those coming up behind him.

“When I say I’m done — in WWE, they say never say never and a lot of people retire and come back — I’m just being honest with myself,” Cena said. “There’s such a great new generation now as well. It’s time to pass the electric energy on to the folks that can be there every day.”

Accordingly, Cena’s role as of late has seemingly been to usher in the new generation of WWE stars. His last in-ring appearance was a loss to The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, after which he was brutally beaten down by the rising star. Before that, he put over LA Knight after their tag team victory at WWE Fastlane and lost a WWE United States Championship match to then-champion Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

16-time WWE Champion John Cena has discussed the latest surgery that he has undergone and thanked the doctor who operated on him. 

Cena disclosed on X that he underwent arm surgery, just a few weeks after his previous operation on November 10.

“Thank you for the autograph, @JeffDugasMD! So very grateful to him and his whole team for two successful surgeries. A world-class facility that has me ready to seize the day… with two repaired arms,” wrote Cena.

The surgeries came after his recent WWE run, where his last match was at Crown Jewel on November 4, losing to The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa. His run, which began on the September 1 episode of “WWE SmackDown,” came about due to the SAG-AFTRA strike in Hollywood, which ended on November 8. During his most recent stint, he feuded with the Bloodline.

Cena was the host of the Payback premium live event, where he was also the referee for the match between LA Knight and The Miz, and later teamed with Knight at Fastlane, defeating Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. He also was in the corner of “WWE NXT” star Carmelo Hayes, when Hayes faced Bron Breakker on the October 10 episode of “NXT.” The visit was Cena’s first appearance on a televised episode of the developmental brand. 

In his last run with WWE, Cena also wrestled several dark matches on “SmackDown” against the likes of Montez Ford, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, and members of The Bloodline, excluding WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

John Cena put over Solo Sikoa last weekend at the WWE Crown Jewel PLE in Saudi Arabia.

Cena’s WWE run came to a close when the match finished with him taking a series of Samoan spikes.

He took to Twitter to express gratitude towards Orthopaedic Surgeon Jeff Dugas for a medical procedure he underwent at Andrew’s Sport Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

As the SAG-AFTRA negotiations continue, John Cena provides some clarity about his future in WWE when the actors strike eventually comes to an end. During the WWE Fastlane press conference, Cena revealed that he plans on returning to Hollywood to resume his acting duties once the strike is over.

“I’ve made it clear that you can’t do both [WWE and Hollywood] because of the liability insurance,” Cena said. “If I were to try and juggle both, that’s very selfish because that would put a whole lot of people in the movie business out of work if something were to happen to me. So yes, I stopped a project in the middle of it – I can’t even talk about the project because of the strike we’re in, but we’re in the middle of it. As soon as we get back to work, we go back to work. I don’t control any of that. I’m crossing my fingers and hope we can find a resolve everyone is happy with. For right now, I think this is the best way I can help, is come back home to my family.”

While it’s uncertain when the SAG-AFTRA strikes may conclude, WWE fans can still look forward to a few more appearances from the “GOAT” in the upcoming weeks. Following his tag team victory alongside LA Knight at WWE Fastlane, Cena is advertised for the next three episodes of “WWE SmackDown,” with his latest run scheduled to end on October 27 as WWE heads to the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Source: Wrestling Inc. credit to WWE Fastlane Press Conference