John Cena Confirms Not Doing Anything Physical in WWE Anymore

John Cena has set the record straight on him possibly taking a few bumps here and there while staying retired.

John Cena Confirms Not Doing Anything Physical in WWE Anymore

John Cena performing the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Dominik Mysterio [via- Netflix]

In Short
  • John Cena confirms he will no longer participate in physical matches in WWE.
  • He remains committed to WWE as an ambassador and is excited about future contributions.
  • The inaugural John Cena Classic event is targeted for late 2026, featuring fan-voted champions.

John Cena will not get involved in a physical capacity on WWE television anymore. Unlike several other legends who have time and again taken bumps after calling it a career, Cena has outright stated that he’d not follow suit. He confirmed it in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.

Despite drawing the line on unsolicited physicality now that he’s retired, Cena affirmed that it wouldn’t keep him away from WWE. ‘The Cenation Leader’ stressed that his fans already know how passionate he is about WWE as a brand.

‘The Prototype’ said he’s still trying to figure out how he would fit in as a valuable contributor to the company. The 17-time world champion also stated that he’s feeling great physically and he loves watching the WWE product from the sidelines.

He admitted to having a blast at this year’s WrestleMania, where he posed as the event’s host and also partook in a segment involving Danhausen, The Miz, and Kit Wilson. John Cena reiterated being excited about his future endeavors with WWE, as he’s on a mission to pay it back to the business that put him on the map.

‘The Franchise Player’ is working on the principle of leaving the pro wrestling business better than he found it. He’s currently signed to WWE as an ambassador, for which he agreed to a 5-year term last November. Cena has said in numerous interviews that he wants to stay associated with WWE for as long as he’s able to do some value addition.

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The John Cena Classic targeted for the end of the year

The most recent WWE appearance of John Cena at the Backlash PLE revealed the introduction of The John Cena Classic. It’s going to be an annual event featuring exhibition matches likely pitting the main roster stars against the best that NXT has to offer.

John Cena
John Cena [via- WWE]

It’s no secret that the exact format was the highlight of the evening of Cena’s final match in WWE last December. Apart from the matches, the John Cena Classic will crown its own champion, the choice of whom will be vested in the WWE Universe.

The Peacemaker actor said in a recent interview that they’re still figuring out how the fan-voting mechanism will actually work. Cena has also addressed the pertinent criticism of winning and losing matches not mattering by claiming that it’s all about stealing the show on that given night.

The wrestler that’ll leave the fans impressed the most but may lose their match could still be voted the champion of the John Cena Classic. For those wondering when this event will see the light of day, PWInsider is reporting that it was noted during a WWE Town Hall on Tuesday that it’s being targeted for the latter part of the year.

One person there believed it could be held just before the year ends, which would make sense considering Cena had his last match in mid-December. The newly minted event would likely be treated as an anniversary show for the WWE retirement of John Cena. And as mentioned by Cena himself, he wants to make it a staple of yearly WWE programming.

Although he’s aware that the concept could go down in flames, he’s more than willing to give it a shot. Moreover, the 49-year-old confirmed at Backlash that he’ll be there in person at the John Cena Classic. The inaugural edition of the event will determine how it will bode in the years to come.

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