John Cena makes pitch for unique WWE projects
John Cena's WWE in-ring career may be coming to an end, but the 16-time world champion plans to maintain close ties with the company. He will also continue focusing on Hollywood and has just made a pitch to merge the two worlds in a unique way.
The Face That Runs The Place began his acting career in 2006 and has around 35 film credits to his name now, with about as many TV credits. He has taken on more interesting roles in recent years but still has not starred in any movie with links to pro wrestling. However, Cena does want to see Hollywood produce more movies, like the 2008 drama with Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler, and the 2023 drama with Zac Efron, The Iron Claw, but with a WWE focus.
Cena appeared on The Jimmy Kimmel Show this week and discussed various topics with host Jeff Goldblum. The 25-year industry veteran was asked about his thoughts on The Iron Claw.
"Movies about wrestling are a tough subject matter to tackle. Movies like The Wrestler and The Iron Claw have done a really good job in telling the story of the individuals. It is such a larger than life thing and there are so many memorable names. Iron Claw is about four marquee players in Texas. The Wrestler is the story about a marquee player who has passed his prime and what he's trying to do in collectively trying to pick up the pieces of his own life. It's that rock star not being able to step off the stage story," John Cena said.
Cena made the case for WWE stories to be told on the silver screen but done in a more dramatic style.
"Wrestling, sports entertainment, WWE is like a treasure chest of stories. When I see a movie done well like Iron Claw or The Wrestler, it gives me hope that more stories can be told because there are so many stories in our library," John Cena said. [H/T - Fightful]
Cena is currently promoting the weekend release of Jackpot!, an action flick being released today by Amazon Studios on Prime Video. The movie also stars Awkwafina, Sean William Scott, Simu Liu, and MGK.
John Cena clarifies post-WWE in-ring future
John Cena has announced that he will retire from the ring in 2025. The Cenation Leader will work WrestleMania 41 and a few dozen other dates next year, then call it quits from in-ring competition full-time.
Cena has made it clear that he's open to doing non-wrestling work with World Wrestling Entertainment once he's retired. However, he does not plan on ever wrestling again. Speaking with ComicBook.com, the 16-time world champion cleared up any confusion over "One more match" for WWE or any other company.
"There isn’t a check writer with enough money to change my mind. When I hang it up in December, it isn’t something - I don’t want to continue for ego or financial gain. I built a relationship of trust and authenticity over the years with the WWE, and that’s people who think I suck and people who believe in me. They know that I shoot them straight and I’m trustworthy. I mean what I say. And when I’m done in December, I am done. It is the last time I will perform in a ring," John Cena said. [H/T - Comicbook.com]
Cena continued and said he'll be a member of the WWE family as an ambassador, and a grateful one at that. He added that fans will only see him wear a formal suit, not the suit that comes with jorts, wristbands, and a baseball cap. That all goes away in December 2025, and that's why Cena and WWE officials are putting so much equity and emphasis on his retirement tour.