‘I Would Do This For Free.’ John Cena’s The Time Is Now WWE Run Has Been Wildly Popular (And Impressive), But He’s Open About Why It Has To End

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Fans of WWE were taken aback when it was announced that John Cena, an actor and arguably one of the greatest wrestlers, would retire from in-ring competition in July 2024. As we approach the following year, there are only a few WWE events left on the calendar where fans can witness the charismatic “last real champion” taunt his opponents with cutting words before attempting to overpower them in the ring. Despite Cena’s willingness to wrestle for free, he has recently explained why his time as a WWE superstar must come to an end.

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What Did John Cena Say About Why He’s Ending His Wrestling Career Now?

In the world of wrestling, there’s never a lack of engaging discussions, but one recurring theme that has captured the attention of fans in 2025 is John Cena’s farewell tour. After entering the WWE scene back in June 2002 with a fierce intensity known as “ruthless aggression,” this year marks his final stint as a competitor.

Not only have he and the company cleaned up when it comes to merch sales (a new shirt/hat/rally towel combo for every city) and selling out his appearances (whether he wrestled that night or not), but his long-hoped-for (but still shocking) heel turn and recent pre-Summer Slam reversal to face form have kept folks yelling “You can’t see me!” at every opportunity. With the arrival of WWE: Unreal (available with a Netflix subscription), however, fans can hear the future hall of fame star open up about his love of wrestling and why he has to call it a day now. In a clip (which was posted on Instagram), Cena said:

In my family, wrestling served as our shared bond and the cornerstone of our relationships. As one of five brothers, we all found a common ground in wrestling – it was the glue that kept us connected. I cherish it as a pastime and consider it a magical realm. Not only did I indulge in it during my leisure time, but I also invested money to continue practicing it. To put it simply, I would do it for free if I could. However, my physical abilities no longer allow me to wrestle anymore.

I’ve been candid in the recent past about the waning days of my wrestling career. In fact, just before the Money in the Bank 2024 event where I announced my retirement, I was open about it, telling People, “I recognize that my WWE journey is drawing to a close.

In 2021, during another busy phase of his wrestling career, he expressed his desire not to become so slow that it would disappoint his audience. It seems that in the past couple of years, he reached a stage where he felt he could no longer maintain the pace for much longer. Here’s the link to the video if you want to see more: [Link]

As a dedicated movie buff, I can’t help but reflect on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s career in wrestling – though it’s sad to see him reach the point where he seems to have hit his limit, at least he had the foresight to anticipate this and prepare an unexpected farewell for fans. Though the final chapter isn’t written just yet, we can eagerly await some grand and undoubtedly jaw-dropping moments from Johnson as we approach the end of the year, making this a truly memorable swan song.

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2025-08-06 19:59