"I will absolutely be done" - 14-time WWE Champion confirms retirement from wrestling

WWE veterans often announce their retirement but return for a match or a run in the Stamford-based promotion. Recently, the current Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena reiterated that December 2025 will be the last time he will compete inside the ring.

John Cena's final run shocked fans and industry veterans as he turned heel and headlined his final WrestleMania in Las Vegas against Cody Rhodes. While The Franchise Player has less than 18 dates left, many believe that The Leader of the Cenation has a babyface run remaining before he retires from in-ring competition.

In an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," the 14-time WWE and three-time World Heavyweight Champion talked about his final run in the company as a performer and confirmed that he will not wrestle after December 2025, as he would be done as a competitor inside the squared circle. He also joked about how retirement isn't taken seriously in the business, but assured he will hang up the wrestling boots in December 2025.

"We're in the middle of a retirement tour, a farewell tour, and we are absolutely halfway through. It's been pretty incredible. I think we're getting down to a point where the audience understands that I'm done in December. And professional wrestling and retirement—there's no realism, but I will absolutely be done in December. It was kind of a thing where people didn't understand what was going on, but now we're halfway through it, it's a really good live experience because every audience is different," Cena said. (From 01:13 to 01:43)

Check out the video below:

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Top name could dethrone John Cena, says ex-WWE star

John Cena wants to ruin wrestling for the fans in his heel run in the Stamford-based promotion. The Franchise Player intends to take the Undisputed WWE Championship with him when he retires as a performer in December 2025.

Speaking on the Rebooked Wrestling podcast, Matthew Rehwoldt, fka Aiden English, picked Sami Zayn as the star who could end John Cena's reign as the Undisputed WWE Champion in December.

"I could see a thing where you could have a little bit of a WrestleMania 30 Daniel Bryan kind of story with Sami Zayn, but he stumbles along his way... And John Cena is very giving with big moments, and I know he wants to lift other people up," English said.

It'll be interesting to see which star dethrones The Franchise Player before he retires from wrestling for good.

If you use quotes from the first half of this article, please credit The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.