John Cena hasn’t competed inside a ring since January. And as the 16-time world champion continues to thrive in Hollywood with his acting career, many have wondered if and when he’ll finally hang up his boots in the wrestling business.
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In an interview with TMZ this week, Cena was asked about the now-infamous match at Super ShowDown between Goldberg and Undertaker, where the combined age of the match was 106. Cena said it wasn’t his place to determine when somebody should retire before admitting that it’s something he’s been considering as of late.
“I think an individual’s career is up to the individual. I think that’s pretty much the way I can describe that. I’ve been having the same conversation with myself, and I’m only 42. It’s something we’ve got to address each day, and that’s individually specific. When those people are ready to stop, they’ll stop.”
Cena’s last match took place on January 14 when he competed in a four-way against Finn Balor, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre on an episode of Monday Night Raw. After dominating WWE’s main event scene for more than a decade, Cena moved into a part-time role after WrestleMania 32. In 2017 he feuded with the likes of Rusev, Baron Corbin and Roman Reigns before becoming obsessed with trying to get a match at WrestleMania 34, which eventually led to a surprise squash match against the Undertaker. In 2018 he wrestled in just 28 matches, his fewest in a single year since his pre-WWE days in 2001.
During WrestleMania 35 weekend in April, Cena gave an interview with Chris Van Vliet where he stated he felt the WWE didn’t need him anymore as their top star.
“I think I would have left the WWE high and dry, so to speak, [but] now they have so much talent and so many definable Superstars,” Cena said. “There was a time when I could genuinely say, from a financial standpoint, they needed me — that time is up.”
Outside the ring, Cena has picked up numerous acting and hosting roles in recent years. Some of his recent films include Trainwreck, Daddy’s Home, Sisters, The Wall, Ferdinand, Blockers and Bumblebee while his upcoming projects include roles in Playing with Fire, Project X-Traction, The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, The Suicide Squad and The Janson Directive.
On Friday Cena was confirmed for the cast of the ninth installment in the Fast & Furious series.
“For nearly 20 years, the Fast Franchise has entertained fans and created some of the biggest cinematic moments in history,” Cena wrote when the news broke. “It’s an incredible honor to join this franchise and this family.”
