After vowing to "ruin wrestling," John Cena makes a heartfelt claim ahead of WWE retirement
John Cena is currently midway through his WWE Farewell Tour, an emotional journey that will culminate with his retirement from in-ring competition. Recently, the 17-time World Champion dropped a huge statement regarding professional wrestling.
As of now, The Cenation Leader is scheduled to put his Undisputed WWE Championship on the line at Night of Champions. He will face CM Punk for the title at the premium live event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28.
During an appearance at the FAN EXPO Dallas 2025, John Cena admitted that he loves wrestling more than acting, acknowledging the unique atmosphere of a live crowd. The 48-year-old added that he is prepared to face any repercussions in the movie industry for this stance.
This declaration came despite The Last Real Champion's previous claim in an episode of Monday Night RAW that he would "ruin wrestling" for fans.
"To be honest, I love wrestling so much more [than acting]. There's no denying the magic in an arena for a live WWE broadcast. And I'm fine saying that. If that knocks me out of the movie business, I'll be accountable for saying that," Cena said.
John Cena comments on joining a major competitor outside of WWE
Outside of professional wrestling, The Franchise Player portrays the role of Peacemaker in the DC Extended Universe. At FAN EXPO Dallas 2025, John Cena was asked about his possible transition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The 48-year-old legend said:
"I don't know who goes to these conventions, but if anybody in the MCU is in the room, I hope they heard that question and heard what I heard of, like, 'Man, we'd like to see John Cena as a Marvel superhero.' I know we all love a good rivalry, right? Here's what I know about comics and superheroes. They run parallel to sports entertainment fans. The fandom and the passion that I see in the superhero universe, whether it's DC or Marvel, remind me of passionate WWE fans. I don't write the checks and make the parts, so right now, my answer's gotta be no. But I hope there is a world where I see all these passionate people come for comics and superheroes." [16:14 onwards]
Fans will have to wait and see if John Cena overcomes CM Punk and retains his gold this Saturday at Night of Champions.
Please credit FAN EXPO Dallas 2025 and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you take quotes from this article.
