John Cena Says His Body Can't Handle WWE's Schedule Anymore

With his Hollywood acting career on the rise, John Cena hasn't been actively appearing on the WWE roster on a weekly basis since early 2018. And even though he was renowned for his work ethic and seemingly limitless strength, the 16-time former world champion admitted in a new interview on Sunday's TODAY that he can't physically keep up with WWE's grueling schedule anymore.

"That's the great thing about WWE, you can perform in any capacity," Cena said. "And, as long as I've made a promise in the in-ring aspect of things, as long as I can keep up with the current product, I can perform. The opportunities that I've been awarded keep me from being in the ring and I actually think that's good because it makes any time that I'm invited back to WWE super, super special. And that's the way it should be."

"If I didn't have these opportunities, I still would be taking, actively taking, time off. My body just can't handle the schedule anymore," he later stated. "When I turned 40, I really took a look in the mirror and said, 'Hey, man, I know you really like this, but instead of 250 performances a year, from here on out, just do it 100 times and do it well," he continued. "And then it became, 'Just do it 50 times and do it well.' And now it's like, 'Hey, you really have to prepare to get ready to perform and then really recover after a performance.'"

Cena briefly returned to the company in December 2018 through early January, with his last match being a four-way No. 1 contender's match for Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship involving Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre and baron Corbin. His last pay-per-view match took place in October 2018 when he teamed with Bobby Lashley (who would turn heel shortly after) to easily beat Elias and Kevin Owens at the Super Show-Down event in Australia.

Meanwhile his filmography began to grow. In recent years Cena has starred in movies like Sisters, The Wall, Daddy's Home 2, Ferdinand, Blockers and Bumblebee while also hosting the revived Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.

Some of his upcoming roles include Playing With Fire, The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, Project X-Traction, Fast & Furious 9, The Janson Directive and James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.

Cena admitted prior to SmackDown's premiere on FOX on Friday night that he would be unable to attend the Blue Brand's event.

"Good luck to my @WWE family for the 1st episode of #SmackDown on @FOXTV," Cena tweeted. "I've learned a lot about family here at #Fast9 and while I'll be enjoying from afar, I'm glad #FastAndFurious family icon @TheRock gets to FINALLY return home to electrify!"