Almost a year after his WWE retirement match against Gunther, the legendary John Cena has admitted that he “misses” it “every single day.”
Speaking to People at the premiere of Matchbox: The Movie, Cena said that he reflects daily on his life. That includes his days as a professional wrestler. However, at 49, Cena knows it was the smart decision to hang up the jean shorts.
“I miss all of it every day. I miss performing every single day. And that said, just because I miss it here,” Cena said about WWE, pointing to his heart, “doesn’t make it the right decision here,” pointing at his head.
John Cena's WWE retirement
In 2025, Cena embarked on a year-long retirement tour, giving WWE fans around the world a chance to see him one last time. He competed in 18 matches during the run.
He finished as the runner-up in the 2025 Royal Rumble in the first match of the retirement tour. However, he won the Men's Elimination Chamber match the following month to earn an Undisputed WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 41.
Article Continues BelowCena defeated Cody Rhodes after turning heel to win a record-setting 17th world championship at WrestleMania. He remained a heel, defending the title against old foes like CM Punk, Randy Orton, and R-Truth, until SummerSlam, where he lost the title back to Rhodes.
He spent the final months of his retirement tour as a babyface, losing to Brock Lesnar and Dominik Mysterio in the home stretch of the run. Cena's last match was against Gunther. He lost to the “Ring General” via submission at Saturday Night's Main Event on Dec. 13, 2025.
Since his retirement, Cena has returned a couple of times. He was the host of WrestleMania 42 and the following PLE, Backlash, in 2026. However, he is unlikely to ever wrestle again.