John Cena retired from professional wrestling on December 13, 2025. He tapped out to Gunther in a 23-minute match at Saturday Night’s Main Event at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., removed his sneakers and sweatbands, laid them in the center of the ring, and left.
The entire WWE locker room came out to say goodbye. The crowd chanted “thank you, Cena.” It was, by any reasonable measure, a proper ending.
That ending lasted about three and a half months.
On Monday, Cena posted a video to his official X account confirming he will be at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas as the official host of the two-night event. WWE followed with its own announcement, “Las Vegas are you ready?! The GOAT @JohnCena will be the host of WrestleMania 42. See you there!”
WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18 and 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. That is three weeks from now.
How Did Cena Announce It?
The video is vintage Cena. He opens by sitting in sunlight, joking “ah, retired life in the sun. I’m kidding.” He then reveals what he has been doing since December.
“Check out the backdrop. I’m shooting a movie for Netflix called One Attempt Remaining that you can see when it comes out.” He explains that he is already on the road for the film shoot, and that Hollywood is, as he points out, very close to Las Vegas. Then the pivot.
“The rumor around this town is WrestleMania needs a host. Well, I’m already on that road so I will see you at WrestleMania.”
His caption on the post read, “Since retirement, my road has looked a little different… but now I can officially say I’m headed to WrestleMania!!!! See you in Las Vegas!”
He will not be competing. The hosting role puts him front and center at the biggest event on WWE’s calendar without requiring him to take a bump or lace up his boots.
It is exactly the kind of high-visibility role that fits the post-retirement trajectory he had been hinting at.
At MegaCon in Orlando earlier in March, Cena told fans he may have “cracked the code on a new way to contribute” to WWE. A WrestleMania hosting gig answers that riddle.
Cena’s Legendary Career
John Cena joined WWE in 2001 and made his main roster debut in 2002. What followed was one of the most decorated careers in professional wrestling history, and also one of the most polarizing.
For a significant stretch of his prime years in the mid-2000s through the early 2010s, Cena was both the most popular wrestler in WWE and the most booed, depending on the night and the city.
Children loved him. A significant section of adult male fans spent years trying to drown out his entrance music.
WWE sold merchandise to both groups.
He held the WWE Championship or its equivalents a record 16 times going into 2025, tying Ric Flair for the most world championship reigns recognized by WWE.
He was a five-time United States Champion, four-time tag team champion, and completed the Triple Crown and Grand Slam in November 2025 by briefly holding the Intercontinental title.
He fulfilled the Make-A-Wish Foundation more than 650 times, the most of any individual in the organization’s history.
He announced his retirement at Money in the Bank on July 6, 2024, setting in motion a year-long farewell tour that began at the Royal Rumble in January 2025 and ran through 36 dates.
The tour produced some of the most talked-about moments of his career. At Elimination Chamber in March 2025, he turned heel for the first time since 2003, aligning with The Rock and Travis Scott by low-blowing Cody Rhodes.
At WrestleMania 41 the following month, he defeated Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship to become a record-breaking 17-time world champion, breaking his tie with Flair.
He held the title until SummerSlam in August, where he turned babyface again and dropped the belt back to Rhodes.
He then wrestled Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, and others before a 16-man tournament determined his final opponent.
Gunther won that tournament, defeating LA Knight in the finals. Their match on December 13 ran 23 minutes and 44 seconds.
After Cena put Gunther through the Five-Knuckle Shuffle and hit multiple Attitude Adjustments, including one for a near-fall, Gunther eventually locked in a sleeper hold and Cena tapped out.
The crowd, which had been booing Gunther throughout, chanted “thank you, Cena” as Cena sat in the center of the ring, kissed the mat, and said goodbye.
Cena explained in a later interview on the No Contest Wrestling podcast that he specifically chose December for his final match rather than WrestleMania because he wanted to give WWE a programming boost during what he described as a slower period between Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble.
Even on his way out, he was thinking about the company.
What Will WrestleMania 42 Look Like?
The event was originally scheduled for the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on April 11 and 12, announced by Dwayne Johnson on SmackDown in February 2025.
By May 2025 that plan had changed. Las Vegas, coming off the enormous financial success of WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium, made a higher bid and the event returned.
WWE confirmed it at Money in the Bank in June 2025. It will be the second consecutive WrestleMania at Allegiant Stadium, the first time the same venue has hosted back-to-back WrestleManias since the Atlantic City Convention Hall held WrestleMania IV in 1988 and WrestleMania V in 1989.
The event streams on ESPN in the United States for the first time, with the first hour of each night airing live on ESPN2 and ESPN respectively. It will also stream on Netflix in most international markets.
The confirmed card heading into Cena’s announcement includes CM Punk defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns, Stephanie Vaquer defending the Women’s World Championship against Liv Morgan, Jade Cargill challenging Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women’s Championship, and Brock Lesnar facing Oba Femi after Femi hit him with a Fall From Grace powerbomb on the March 16 episode of Raw.
Cody Rhodes versus Randy Orton has also been building. WrestleMania weekend also includes the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on April 17, Kill Tony: WrestleMania hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe at Dolby Live at Park MGM on April 18, and Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania on April 20 at T-Mobile Arena.
Cena’s Much Anticipated Return
Cena’s return to WWE, even in a non-competitive capacity, was not widely anticipated this quickly after retirement.
He left with his gear in the ring and rode off with the full ceremony of a proper ending. Three months later he is back on the road, filming a Netflix movie and heading to Las Vegas.
He was also the main event of last year’s WrestleMania at the same stadium, defeating Cody Rhodes in the Night 2 main event to win his 17th title.
Returning as host rather than competitor to the same venue a year later is a different kind of appearance, but it keeps him at the center of the industry’s biggest weekend.
WrestleMania 42 is April 18 and 19. John Cena will be there. He said he was already on the road.
