John Cena makes harrowing claim about upcoming WWE retirement

John Cena made a harrowing claim about his upcoming WWE retirement. The 48-year-old will be competing in his final match next weekend at Saturday Night's Main Event.

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, The Cenation Leader made an interesting claim about the nature of the wrestling business. The veteran suggested that fans would forget about him by Royal Rumble 2026. John Cena noted that he wasn't looking for sympathy and was just being truthful.

“I’m gonna retire on the 13th, they will be moved on by the Royal Rumble, and that is real facts, I will be forgotten. That is not a plea to sympathy of like ‘always remember me.’ By the Royal Rumble, the road to WrestleMania, nobody gives a f*ck, ‘cause they’re focusing on what the show is. That’s like 3 weeks after I retire, 3 weeks after I retire, nobody’s going to give a f*ck," he said. [H/T: Wrestle Ops]

You can check out the video below:

The legend competed in his final PLE match this past Saturday night at Survivor Series. Dominik Mysterio defeated him to become the new Intercontinental Champion at the PLE after Liv Morgan interfered in the match. Gunther and LA Knight will be squaring off tonight on WWE SmackDown in the finals of the Last Time is Now tournament to determine Cena's final opponent.

John Cena confirms upcoming WWE retirement

WWE legend John Cena recently confirmed on social media that he would no longer be wrestling following his retirement match at Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13.

John Cena took to his official X account to reiterate that his final wrestling match is quickly approaching. The former champion shared that he would be retiring following Saturday Night's Main Event and thanked fans for their support.

"One thing has been certain for the entirety of the Last Time Is Now Farewell tour has been its finality. After Dec 13th, I will no longer compete in a @WWE ring. Thankful to all those who came along for the ride and who will be watching #SNME! Thank you @BillSimmons and @ringer for the time to chat about the business I care about so much," Cena tweeted on X.

John Cena

@JohnCena

One thing has been certain for the entirety of the Last Time Is Now Farewell tour has been its finality. After Dec 13th, I will no longer compete in a @WWE ring. Thankful to all those who came along for the ride and who will be watching #SNME! Thank you @BillSimmons and @ringer

It will be fascinating to see if Gunther or LA Knight wins the Last Time is Now tournament tonight on SmackDown.