John Cena is aware that many fans do not believe he is truly retiring from in-ring competition, but he has warned that those skeptics are setting themselves up for disappointment. Cena discussed the reaction to his upcoming retirement during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Cena Warns Fans Won’t Get Closure If They Are Skeptical
With his final match set for December 13 at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Cena addressed the portion of the audience that believes this is part of a storyline or a “fake” retirement. He stated that because this definitive exit has never been done in WWE history, the skepticism is understandable, but misplaced.
“It’s weird because there’s a lot of skepticism out there because this has never been done before. I just hope people can come to grips with that,” Cena said. “And if you’re one of those people who’s like, ‘You’re never gonna retire’, after the 13th is going to be weird because you’re not going to have the closure you want.”
Why Cena Gave So Much Lead Time
Cena explained that his long farewell tour was designed to allow him to connect with the audience one last time. He wanted to ensure that fans who have supported him for two decades had the opportunity to process his departure.
“The reason I wanted to give people so much lead time is being able to perform for two decades and people allowing me into their living rooms week after week for 52 weeks a year, no reruns, you do feel a connection with people ,and touring the world in this last year, it really has been beautiful,” Cena said.
A Final Goodbye On December 13
Cena ended by saying that meeting audience members and hearing their stories has been a highlight of his final year. He hopes the advanced notice has helped fans prepare for the end of his career.
“Meeting audience members and them sharing their stories has been great, and I wanted to give those people a heads up so people could process whatever closure they wanted for the 13th,” Cena said. The 17-time World Champion will wrestle his final match live on Peacock.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Jimmy Kimmel Live with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can watch the full interview on the Jimmy Kimmel Live YouTube channel.
