John Cena plans to retire from WWE before the age of 50

LOS ANGELES: American professional wrestler and actor John Cena is ready to leave wrestling for good, teasing that it will be before he reaches the age of 50, Deadline reported citing ET online.

In a new interview, the 'Argylle' and 'Barbie' actor said that he is on the verge of retirement from WWE.

"That's not a maybe. That time is gonna come and it's gonna come soon," the 46-year-old actor and wrestler told ET on the possibility of retiring.

He continued, "I made a promise to the consumer early on, to WWE fans, 'cause I know how tough it is to be a fan. You gotta come out of pocket -- and WWE has a ton of content -- it takes a lot to be a passionate fan and our fanbase is passionate and global. I never wanted to go out there just for the sake of going out there."

Cena entered the WWE in 2002 and pondered on his age, saying, "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 the odometer say, 'Hey, that's gotta be done before 50,'" he ended.

This is not the first time Cena has suggested he is done with wrestling. During last year's writers and actors strike, Cena returned to WWE and stated that his final match was near.

"As I said out there in the ring, the last one is not tonight, but I know it's soon," he said in September 2023.

"Every single chance I get to go out there becomes more and more special. There is no denying the fact that I'm 46 and staring down 47. I've been here for over two decades. As I said out there in the ring, the last one is not tonight, but I know it's soon. To speak candidly, when you're involved in this every day in a full-time capacity, you just think about what's next."