Jason Burgos
It seems that John Cena was not originally planned to make his WWE return so soon after his retirement at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December.
For most wrestling fans, 2025 will be remembered as the year of Cena’s retirement tour. For 12 months, the WWE icon said farewell to his long-time supporters and delivered a boatload of memorable moments against old and new rivals. However, all good things must come to an end.
In the headliner of Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, Cena faced off with the unstoppable force known as Gunther. And the man who always said never give up, did just that by tapping out to the two-time World Heavyweight Champion.
After being on WWE TV often in 2025, the assumption was that it would be a very long time before fans saw the “Unseen 17” on their televisions again. However, that changed this week when Cena revealed he would be the host of WrestleMania 42 in a couple of weeks.
John Cena was approached about WrestleMania appearance in February
However, it seems Cena’s return just a few months after his much hyped retirement wasn’t the plan. According to a new edition of Wrestle Votes Radio, company officials reached out to the 17-time world champion in February about a potential role at the event, and it was not something planned months before during his retirement tour.
The wrestling reporters speculated that his appearance is likely to help boost tickets for this month’s two-night event. So far, while tens of thousands of tickets have been sold, sales have been lower than last year. This will be the second straight year that WrestleMania is in Las Vegas.
It is unclear if he will be in attendance for both nights of the event. Nevertheless, Cena has made it clear in various interviews during his retirement that he is open to doing anything the company needs to grow the brand, besides wrestling.
