John Cena plans to retire within the next three years

John Cena isn't quite ready to retire from wrestling yet, but he does have plans to do so soon.

“That's not a maybe,” Cena, 46, said Entertainment tonight on Tuesday, January 23. “That time will come and it will come soon.”

Cena made his WWE debut in 2002. He noted that he has had “at least one match a year” since then and doesn't “plan on missing a year” for “as long as [he] can perform.”

“I made a commitment early on to the consumer, to WWE fans, because I know how hard it is to be a fan. You have to come out of your own pocket – and WWE has a lot of content – ​​it takes a lot to be a passionate fan, and our fan base is passionate and global,” he said. “I never wanted to go out there just to go there.”

Cena said he feels “great” before he turns 47.

“So inside I feel great, but I know what it takes to be a WWE performer night in and night out and I never feel like just going out there and doing it for the sake of doing it,” said he. “I want to have the passion – the same passion as the fan base – and I want to give them exactly what they give me. The miles on the speedometer say, “Hey, that's gotta happen before 50.”

Cena made his transition to acting during a break from wrestling in 2006. Since then, he has starred in several notable films, including Train wreck, Blockers and the upcoming 2024 film Argylle.

“It's hard to combine both because, you know, when you're filming Argylle, Matthew [Vaughn] I won't let you do anything else because of insurance,” he joked about the film's director. “So as long as the phone keeps ringing and we've had some good opportunities here, I'll keep that going for as long as possible. But even when I come back for these one-offs or short three-month stints, it's taking its toll more and more and I've just been incredibly lucky with my health. I feel amazing. I want to continue to feel great for the rest of my life.”

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As for whether Cena will appear at the upcoming WrestleMania event in April, he hinted at the possibility.

“I don't know if I'm free that weekend, but it's a weekend and no movies are shot on the weekend,” he joked. “But when I say I'm done – in WWE they never say, say never and a lot of people retire and come back – I'm just being honest with myself. There is such a great new generation now too. It's time to pass on the electric energy to the people who can be there every day.”