John Cena may be retired from wrestling, but he has no intention of disappearing from WWE completely.
During his appearance on the Sports Illustrated Takedown podcast, Cena made it clear that he still wants to help WWE grow through mentorship, creative projects, appearances, and developing younger talent. Cena specifically discussed using the “John Cena Classic” as a vehicle to help elevate future stars who could become WWE’s next generation of top names.
While explaining the idea behind the project, Cena mentioned talents like Oba Femi, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and Charlotte Flair as examples of the kind of stars he hopes the event can help create. Cena admitted he understands the concept may fail or need adjustments, but he said he would rather keep trying new ideas than simply fade away after retirement.
“I don’t ever want to stop trying. So many people associated with our business after their time in the ring, man, I just want to still contribute and I know I’m not going to fall down again. I promise I’ll be the first wrestler ever retired and actually retired. So, I’m really just taking big swings on how I can be involved and integrated and help. If the John Cena Classic helps a younger talent get on the map, man, what a way to transfer energy from the John Cena name to the next Oba Femi or the next Cody Rhodes or the next Roman Reigns or the next Charlotte Flair.”
Cena repeatedly stressed throughout the interview that his goal is to “leave the business better than I found it,” and he sees projects like the Classic as a way to continue giving back to WWE after retirement.
The 16-time world champion appears fully committed to finding a new role inside WWE, even if it no longer involves stepping inside the ring himself.
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