John Cena has once again made it clear that his in-ring retirement is permanent, insisting that no amount of money from WWE or AEW could bring him back.
During John Cena Live on Sunday, August 30, at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, fans broke into “one more match” chants. Cena responded by name-dropping WWE president Nick Khan and AEW president Tony Khan.
“No Khan has got the pocketbook – Nick, Tony, they ain’t got the money. I’m out.”
While the delivery was lighthearted, Cena followed up with a more serious point. He noted that countless families spent significant money to be part of his farewell tour, especially his final match. Coming back just to feed his ego, Cena said, would be a slap in the face to those people and would turn his retirement into a lie.
Cena wrestled his last match on December 13, 2025, at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C., where Gunther defeated the 17-time world champion by submission. After the match, Cena removed his sneakers and wristbands in the ring before saying goodbye to the crowd.
This is far from the first time Cena has put an impossible price tag on a comeback. Back in June, he told Us Weekly that it would be “financial suicide” for anyone trying to convince him to have one more match.
Last week on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Cena doubled down on his current role within WWE, saying he has no intention of even taking bumps during future appearances. He made it clear that he now sees himself strictly as a representative and promoter for the company.
Even though Cena remains involved with WWE through projects like the John Cena Classic, he continues to treat his in-ring career as completely finished.