American actor and wrestler John Cena has formally announced his retirement from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) competitions.
Cena broke the news during the Money in the Bank event in Toronto, Canada, mentioning that his final match would take place sometime in 2025.
Addressing the crowd, Cena reflected on his career, highlighting the "incredible waves of prosperity" and "tremendous hardship" he experienced since joining WWE over two decades ago.
"John Cena announces retirement from in-ring competition, stating that WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas will be his last," WWE later confirmed on social media site X.
The 47-year-old joined WWE in 2001 and is celebrated as one of the greatest wrestlers in WWE's history, having claimed the world champion title 16 times.
The Toronto crowd showed their appreciation with chants of "Thank you Cena" as he made his announcement, donning a T-shirt emblazoned with "The last time is now" and "John Cena farewell tour."
Cena expressed gratitude for what he called an "incredible gesture of kindness" and thanked the crowd for "letting me play in the house that you built,” according to the British daily, The Guardian.
Beyond his wrestling career, Cena ventured into acting in 2006 with his debut in The Marine. He has since appeared in several films, including "Trainwreck" (2015), "The Suicide Squad" (2021) and "Fast and Furious 9" (2021), as well as the DC superhero TV series "Peacemaker."
Since 2018, Cena has performed part-time with WWE as his acting career expanded.
Cena also holds a Guinness World Record for granting the most Make-a-Wish wishes to seriously ill children. He fulfilled his 650th wish on July 19, 2022, and often wears his championship belts during these events.
