How long before John Cena retires?

[That N Word]

John Cena made his Pro Wrestling debut 19 years ago and has been on top of the wrestling world since with 18 career Heavyweight titles, 16 that count, 5 United States Titles, 5 Tag Titles, 2 Royal Rumbles, Money In The Bank, Defeating likes of The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Batista, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Randy Orton, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels among others. Its clear John had had hella success, even being the Face of WWE for 12 years.

In recent, Cena has made it clear that he's not going to be wrestling much long. John Cena retiring is definitely not a day I'm looking forward to as someone who grew up on. When John debuted I was 4 years old, I'm currently 19 and just graduated College in may. With Cena's agents now telling him when to wrestle due to movies its clear that the time is up sooner rather than later. This feels a little bit too much like 2004-2005 with The Rock.

Question is how long does John has left in WWE realistically before that happens?

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

P.S. Excuse my grammar im on a really old phone thag keeps glitching and freezing.

Well I hope none of us are grammar polices. They are the worst.

As for Cena it depends on the success of his next, and first, starring role. If it's a hit then demands for him in movies will start to pile up. And, just like Dwayne Jonhsons' agents, they will tell him to stop wrestling altogether.

I guess when this happens we can finally call Cena a hypocrite with his previous comments on Dwayne Johnson

Though Cena might still be able to make appearances in the WWE and won't distance himself from the company which The Rock did. The difference being is that The Rock was told to distance himself from the WWE because the company was still fresh off the attitude era and were still doing some controversial angles like Necrophilia, Hot Lesbian Action, Rape, and fighting God. So at the time Rock's agents didn't want to associate himself with WWE's low brow humor. Now with the PG era I think Cena's agents might be ok for him to make the occasional appearance even if it's in a non-wrestling capacity.

 

[therockiswwf]

As for Cena it depends on the success of his next, and first, starring role. If it's a hit then demands for him in movies will start to pile up. And, just like Dwayne Jonhsons' agents, they will tell him to stop wrestling altogether.

I guess when this happens we can finally call Cena a hypocrite with his previous comments on Dwayne Johnson

Cena never criticized Rock for going to Hollywood. He criticized him for never coming back despite saying he loved WWE. Cena is 40. He can't handle a full time schedule. He isn't a hypocrite.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Cena never criticized Rock for going to Hollywood. He criticized him for never coming back despite saying he loved WWE. Cena is 40. He can't handle a full time schedule. He isn't a hypocrite.

Exactly but as Cena is getting closer to The Rock's position the more we are seeing the trend of Cena doing less and less appearance each year.

Let's be honest here if Cena was being offered huge Hollywood roles 10 years ago I am sure he would have been a part time guy by the already.

The only thing I don't see Cena doing is distancing himself from the WWE like what The Rock did after his contract was done. But remember WWE, at the time, was seen as low brow trashy entertainment with many people under 50 started dying (including the much publicized Chris Benoit murder suicide story) no competent agent would ever let their clients appear in the WWE in any meaningful capacity.

 

[therockiswwf]

Exactly but as Cena is getting closer to The Rock's position the more we are seeing the trend of Cena doing less and less appearance each year.

Rock - Around 30. Cold turkey quits WWE. Says he loves WWE. Never comes back.

Cena - 40. Can't do a full time schedule. Hasn't quit WWE.

Big difference. Cena is winding down like everyone does when they get to his age. Only difference is his spare time is spent doing movies instead of sleeping in.

By the way, I don't think there's anything wrong with what Rock did.

Let's be honest here if Cena was being offered huge Hollywood roles 10 years ago I am sure he would have been a part time guy by the already.

Speculation.

The only thing I don't see Cena doing is distancing himself from the WWE like what The Rock did after his contract was done. But remember WWE, at the time, was seen as low brow trashy entertainment with many people under 50 started dying (including the much publicized Chris Benoit murder suicide story) no competent agent would ever let their clients appear in the WWE in any meaningful capacity.

Rock left years before the Benoit thing. Had zero impact on him. Rock has said that he regrets taking that advice.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Rock - Around 30. Cold turkey quits WWE. Says he loves WWE. Never comes back.

Like I said it's probably more about his agent than anything. He had to distance himself from the WWE, WWE was pretty toxic at the time and he needed to make it work for himself in Hollywood.

Also, The Rock didn't quit, his contract was up in 2004. Plus it doesn't matter if it's 30 or 40 when you are given an opportunity to star in Hollywood movies and become a star any person would take it.

Speculation.

Or common sense. Considering the schedule, the money, and fame you get from being a Hollywood actor as opposed to being having to do a WWE schedule.

Like I said Cena had no right to criticize The Rock at the time not being in the same position as The Rock. And that's the problem I have with him.

Come on let's face it Cena, at the time, was way over his head he compared himself to The Rock back then because he was doing movies for WWE Films. And we know doing movies produced by the WWE and comparing that to doing movies for Disney and Universal is pretty laughable. Plus considering what The Rock did for the company (despite being in the Company only for 7 years) Cena was in no position to call out The Rock.

You can call out The Rock for other things but not leaving, it's not The Rock's fault that WWE screwed up in the later years.

Rock left years before the Benoit thing. Had zero impact on him. Rock has said that he regrets taking that advice.

But he never made an appearance after the whole Benoit thing until 2011.

Plus it just wasn't Benoit is was the WWE product at the time. The Attitude Era, the HLA, Necrophilia, story lines.

And even in the Attitude Era or the boom period Wrestling was considered equivalent to the Jerry Springer show.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm torn between not any time soon and that it's hard to predict, though I'm leaning more towards the former. One of the primary reasons for Cena's success is that he's bled WWE for the better part of 15 years, nobody that's debuted in WWE since the Undertaker has been as loyal and as much of a company man as John Cena so I just don't see him leaving within the foreseeable future.

If Cena's movie career takes off, however, then all bets are off the table. As with the Rock, Cena is someone that's long since accomplished everything there is in WWE so it's easy to picture Cena staying as him merely spinning his wheels. If his movie career doesn't reach lofty heights within the next year or two, then I can see him staying until he's about 45 or so before hanging it up.

 

[sikkbones]

Xena is one heel turn away from retirement....

He will milk that long before he steps away from the ring...

And then their will be uneviatable face comeback after that... I could see him going ten more years as a part timer just based on those two storylines alone.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Not soon enough. The reality is that his film career will never explode so we'll have the same part time schedule for another twenty to thirty years.

 

[The Perfect Max]

I'd say it's very hard to predict. Whether or not his next movie is a big hit isn't what I'm concerned with. Instead, I think back to when The Rock left the WWE. He was in fantastic physical shape, delivering great matches, continuing to refresh his character and his promos, and he went out on top when he could have easily had another solid ten years of in ring competition. But he chose not to, and the story goes on from there. So for me, I look at John Cena, who is obviously older than what Rock was at that point in 2003, and see something quite similar. He isn't a battered, old veteran who can't do it anymore. In fact, I think Cena has aged like wine so far as his match quality is concerned. But his opportunities outside of WWE (whether it's film, television appearances, or just being a celebrity at this point) are stacking up so high that he doesn't need the WWE anymore. Just like when Rock left in 2003, which in retrospect was quite predictable, I think it's quite predictable to believe that Cena could do just the same thing despite the fact that he can still hang with everybody on the roster. But as Rock has said, he had done it all, as has Cena, and depending on what kind of person you are depends on whether you want to continue doing and achieving new things.

What separates Cena from Rock (and I only use Rock as a comparison because he's the closest we have to this situation) is two things really. Firstly, I don't believe Cena can be the movie star that Dwayne Johnson has become. It's immense what Rock has achieved and it's impossible to think of a schedule where he would be regularly appearing in WWE and in Hollywood. So, I don't know if the demand for Cena to step away from the ring would be that great that it would be permanent. And while film isn't all that Cena could do, it seems to be the primary draw away from his wrestling career. Secondly, Cena has been an active member of the main roster since 2002. Over 15 years later, he remains at the top of the card competing in match of the year level bouts. Much like Chris Jericho, his more recent runs have seen him engage in feuds with new and rising stars and has helped raise the stock of many new talents in WWE. No doubt is he still at the top, but his role is clear by now. At his age and at this point in his career, I don't see a clear period where Cena would suddenly decide that he no longer wants or needs to continue competing. Cena could have called it quits a long time ago and it hasn't happened yet. Unlike Rock, he didn't leave when he had done it all, but he continued for the love and support of the business. So I actually wonder whether age will become a factor before any career outside of WWE. And to that notion, a guy like Triple H, who remains in fantastic shape at almost 50, proves that Cena could remain doing what he does now for another ten years to come.

Cena could retire tomorrow, and I'd likely be shocked, but I wouldn't be disappointed considering what he has given for WWE. He could retire in two, three, four, or however many years time. It's unpredictable at this point and I think that's a good thing for us as fans to not have an expiration date to remain focused on, like many fans do with a guy like The Undertaker.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

Too difficult to predict. Sure, Cena is 40. So are AJ Styles, Sheamus is there soon, and the recently debuted Bobby Roode is too. We're not wondering when they're retiring.

Michaels and Triple H both wrestled full time until their mid-40s (not sure how heavily they were working the house show circuit). The Undertaker just main evented WrestleMania north of age 50.

The bigger question is when we start to see less of John Cena. When does he become a big ppv only guy like Brock, and when does he become a once a year guy like Taker?

He poised to play the lead in Bumblebee, which will be an artistically devoid money maker like all the Transformers movies and will expose Cena to audiences that may not fully know who he is.

John Cena likely won't be as big a star as Dwayne Johnson, but who knows. If he becomes a box office draw on his own, we'll start to see less of him.

I'd say here on out he's going to work more than Brock, but not much. He'll wrestle on TV, he'll hold at least one or more world titles, then in his mid 40s we'll start to see him whittle away at the schedule.

The other wildcard is health. John Cena strikes me as a very healthy guy. I've never heard any reports of him being a drinker, and I'd be pretty shocked if he's touched drugs given his image and appearance.

He could easily wrestle into his 50s. Cena could be losing to some guy who's 15 years old now, in the main event of WrestleMania 44. Who knows? Who cares?

Some obviously, that's why this thread was started. What matters is how he's booked as his TV time decreases. The last thing we need is another part timer rolling over young talent.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Too hard to predict. Cena is still in phenomenal shape, do you ever see the guy even sweat during a match? He looks as fresh as he does starting a match even if he goes 30 minutes. He really hasn't been in any good starring roles to have Hollywood knocking on his door either. So I'd say he's going to be around for quite awhile longer, even if it's just a part time schedule.

 

[therockiswwf]

Like I said it's probably more about his agent than anything. He had to distance himself from the WWE, WWE was pretty toxic at the time and he needed to make it work for himself in Hollywood.

Also, The Rock didn't quit, his contract was up in 2004. Plus it doesn't matter if it's 30 or 40 when you are given an opportunity to star in Hollywood movies and become a star any person would take it.

Quit/left whatever. You get my point.

Rock said it was due to his agent. I didn't disagree. I know about how toxic WWE was. The AE caused huge problems with attracting advertisers.

Or common sense. Considering the schedule, the money, and fame you get from being a Hollywood actor as opposed to being having to do a WWE schedule.

Like I said Cena had no right to criticize The Rock at the time not being in the same position as The Rock. And that's the problem I have with him.

Or speculation. Maybe Cena actually loves wrestling.

He only criticized Rock for never coming back. He felt it was a bit disingenuous of Rock to say he loved WWE and never make an appearance here and there. Cena has the right to say and think that. Doesn't mean he is right. Also doesn't make him a hypocrite which is why we started arguing. You said Cena is a hypocrite. He isn't.

Come on let's face it Cena, at the time, was way over his head he compared himself to The Rock back then because he was doing movies for WWE Films. And we know doing movies produced by the WWE and comparing that to doing movies for Disney and Universal is pretty laughable. Plus considering what The Rock did for the company (despite being in the Company only for 7 years) Cena was in no position to call out The Rock.

Cena didn't compare himself to Rock. I have no idea what you are going on about. Again, you said Cena was a hypocrite. He isn't.

You can call out The Rock for other things but not leaving, it's not The Rock's fault that WWE screwed up in the later years.

What?

But he never made an appearance after the whole Benoit thing until 2011.

He hadn't appeared the 3 years before that either.

Plus it just wasn't Benoit is was the WWE product at the time. The Attitude Era, the HLA, Necrophilia, story lines.

And even in the Attitude Era or the boom period Wrestling was considered equivalent to the Jerry Springer show.

What relevance did this have to our discussion?

 

[Dagger Dias]

That would be difficult to predict at this time. He's 40 so that day is indeed coming, although it could be far off since he is still in good health. If he remains in more of a part-time position then I could see him sticking around for years. As dedicated as Cena is to the WWE, I doubt he will retire anytime soon. It would take a career-ending injury or for him to reach the point where he simply cannot work a match anymore. I don't see it happening for a long time. He'll at least stick around long enough to break Flair's title record as well as long enough for a true passing of the torch to the next face of the federation.

 

[Navi]

I picked "it's hard to predict". If Reigns had taken off as much as the WWE wanted him too, I believe Cena would already be seen less than he is now. The only reason he's stayed around doing as much as he does is because they still don't have anyone to take his place.

On the other hand, if he keeps getting movie roles like the ones being offered too him now he might not have a choice but to leave. Remember the Rock couldn't wrestle at Mania one year because he was filming a movie and the studio said no, or something along those lines. If the same thing happens to Cena then he may have to decide whether to keep wrestling or say goodbye.

Although Cena I don't think will ever completely say goodbye to the WWE, he will come back more than the Rock or Batista did. In what capacity I have no idea, that would depend on what the future holds for him.

 

[stingray11214]

Cena is going nowhere anytime soon. In reality, where is he going to go? He is not the actor Rock is. Cena comes off very wooden. So, I doubt very seriously his movie career will go anywhere. Sure, he has his TV show. But, you can get anyone to host a reality TV show. I see Cena hanging around until his 50's.

 

[Starkist]

If I were to take a guess, I say within the next five years. I see Cena giving full time a rest after 3 years then going part time for two years before hanging them up and becoming a Wrestlemania attraction to draw viewers and buys.


Cena has done enough in his career for the WWE. I hope he retires when he is still healthy to enjoy the remainder of his life in good health.

 

[TDFG]

I don't think he'll retire anytime soon, however I don't think we'll see John Cena working a full-time schedule again.

He'll gradually cut down on his appearances while he does movies etc. but I think that even when he decides to go part-time and compete a few times a year he could still compete on for another 10 years if he wanted to.

Eventually he will start to slow down and miss a beat in the ring, but the guy is still in phenomenal shape, he's still selling merchandise and whether you love him or hate him, he still gets crowd reactions.

I am sure WWE will want to make a big fuss of John Cena for when he does overtake Ric Flair's title record.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Cena will never retire. He will always be coming back to wrestle no matter what anytime he has free space and he will most likely end up like The Undertaker. He will end up as a 21 time world champ. Probably will win the IC title as well. He will stick around for a decade at least. He's currently at the peak of his in ring perfomance and has been ever since 2011-12. We still have a lot to see from John Cena.

Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, Adam Cole, Bobby Roode, Hideo Itami and many more from around the world are waiting for a shot against this John Cena and there still some big matches to come.

A decade more. At least.

 

[neildittmar]

Retires? As in doesn't wrestle, anymore, ever? Not any time soon.

Love him or hate him, John Cena is the most concreted star in/from an era that has become proved to become notably devoid of them. Be it genericized "stars", short-termers, or even premature deaths, the previous era that John Cena ushered in lacks established, main line talent in a way that I simply can't recall occurring in the nearly 30 years I've been watching wrestling and WWF/E in particular.

What that effectively does is make John Cena the face by default, despite what his individual talents and personal contributions to WWE may actually be. Strictly by that logic, this puts Cena in the same camp with guys like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold and the Rock, and other standouts from their respective eras. WWE knows that they can always bring Cena out to a reaction (good or bad) and as long as he can physically perform in some capacity, he'll come out to the ring, do his job (figuratively or literally) and get paid.

To that end, I can absolutely envision a 50-60 year old John Cena hobbling out to the ring a la Hulk Hogan in 10-20 years to "perform." I could even see him having some sort of main event position or perhaps even a title run at that point. Wrestling (and WWE in particular) is funny like that, particularly if there is the same kind of new talent drought as when Cena was initially coming up.

 

[sikkbones]

Retires? As in doesn't wrestle, anymore, ever? Not any time soon.

Love him or hate him, John Cena is the most concreted star in/from an era that has become proved to become notably devoid of them. Be it genericized "stars", short-termers, or even premature deaths, the previous era that John Cena ushered in lacks established, main line talent in a way that I simply can't recall occurring in the nearly 30 years I've been watching wrestling and WWF/E in particular.

What that effectively does is make John Cena the face by default, despite what his individual talents and personal contributions to WWE may actually be. Strictly by that logic, this puts Cena in the same camp with guys like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold and the Rock, and other standouts from their respective eras. WWE knows that they can always bring Cena out to a reaction (good or bad) and as long as he can physically perform in some capacity, he'll come out to the ring, do his job (figuratively or literally) and get paid.

To that end, I can absolutely envision a 50-60 year old John Cena hobbling out to the ring a la Hulk Hogan in 10-20 years to "perform." I could even see him having some sort of main event position or perhaps even a title run at that point. Wrestling (and WWE in particular) is funny like that, particularly if there is the same kind of new talent drought as when Cena was initially coming up.

We are seeing this now with all the undertaker speculation.

I figure cena will have a major heel turn before he retires that will extend his career for years.

He would look really good with a nwo hat, armband and shirt.

He could even keep the jorts.

Image wise the nwo colurs arenthe perfect choice for him.

He could go dark and gangsta without changing his image, losing much merchandising and just being harder than he currently is.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Unless his hollywood career takes off (and it's kinda doubtful), then he'll probably stick around for a few years on the schedule he's on now.

He makes a lot of money and can take off anytime he wants. It's probably going to be at least 5-10 more years.

 

[ShinChan]

Not anytime soon, I guess. I don't think that Rock can be compared with John Cena. John Cena is sort of a pillar of WWE from such a long time. No wonder he has 16 World title reigns. So, I think that he might become an even more part timer but he won't be retiring anytime soon. At least 5 years. Wrestlemania 34/35 would be too soon and almost impossible.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I fell that unless hollywood want him to quit wrestling and only focus on making movies, cena will never truly retire. The guy is to passionate about the wwe that he's like chris jericho in that sense and will always return when he got some time off from whatever project he got going on. And even if he decide to stop wrestling tomorrow, e will always be doing somthing backstage.