After John Cena, another icon will 100% be gone from WWE

The anticipation for John Cena's final-ever WWE match is at a fever pitch. Amid the excitement, The Cenation Leader has confirmed that another top star will leave the Stamford-based promotion next year.

The talent in question is AJ Styles. The Phenomenal One and Cena have had tremendous feuds over the years in WWE, with the two legends last facing each other at Crown Jewel 2025. Before that match, Styles announced that he would retire from in-ring action in 2026.

During his interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, John Cena revealed that he spoke to AJ Styles about his decision to hang up his wrestling boots during their latest storyline in WWE. Cena mentioned that Styles made it clear that he had no interest in having a retirement tour like The Cenation Leader.

"I'm like, 'Man, AJ, there are a lot of people who really admire you out there. I know you're thinking of calling it quits soon. Do you think that there's any possibility you would try to do something like this? I honestly think people would pay to see you one last time.' He's literally tying his shoes, he turns to me and says, 'Man, I'm 48,' and as soon as the words left his mouth, he didn't have to say anything else. It's something about those late 40s, where he's like 'I'm already overstaying my physical welcome, they just don't see it, because they don't see what goes into prep, cooldown, recovery, I'm already riding that razor's edge,'" John Cena said.

John Cena added that both he and AJ Styles want to deliver the best possible product to fans. Hence, they have decided not to drag out their careers and are stepping away from pro wrestling soon.

"You can't tell, because he still looks great, still does great stuff, but he can't stay another second, because he doesn't want to put out a product that isn't AJ Styles. The same goes for me, like yeah, this is why I'm going, because I can still give you what you want, I don't want to walk away when I can't." [H/T: Insight with Chris Van Vliet]

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John Cena may have dropped a spoiler on WWE veteran's future

In the same interview, John Cena spoke about his quick loss to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza 2025.

The Cenation Leader said that it was necessary to build up Lesnar as a strong force in WWE once again before someone topples him. He also let it slip that The Beast Incarnate might ride off "into the sunset" at SummerSlam 2026 in Minnesota, his home state, during the conversation on Insight.

"He’s a beast. It’s his first time back. I’ve been in this seat before. It’s like I’m always in the seat when Brock comes back, [The] Rock after Miami, who’s the next guy? SummerSlam with Roman [Reigns], here he comes again. After he beats 'Taker [The Undertaker] for the streak, I’ve sat in this seat before. You have to figure out who gets the shine that night and if, in his return again, only my perspective. This attraction, where we are going to build until he goes into the sunset, which is, I think, in Minnesota? Creatively, it’s very soon. To create a mountain to climb for someone, you have to build the mountain."

It will be interesting to see how the landscape of WWE changes after stalwarts like John Cena, AJ Styles, and Brock Lesnar disappear from the scene.