Chris Jericho Gives John Cena His Flowers After WWE Retirement Announcement

John Cena stunned the pro wrestling world when he appeared at Money in the Bank and announced that he would conclude his WWE in-ring career in 2025. Fans can expect another 30 or 40 appearances from the 16-time World Champion, though it remains uncertain how many matches he will participate in. Chris Jericho witnessed the announcement and took the opportunity to congratulate Cena.

The wrestling community is preparing to bid farewell to John Cena, who declared earlier this summer that 2025 would be his final year as an active competitor. It’s unknown who he will face as his final opponents, but you can probably cross Chris Jericho off that list due to his AEW commitments. WWE has also made it clear that they will not be collaborating with Tony Khan’s company.

Several WWE legends, including Adam Copeland and former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, have transitioned to AEW after leaving WWE. In a new interview with Sports Illustrated, Jericho expressed his belief that Cena would not join his fellow WWE alumni in AEW.

“John is a WWE man through and through. I would be so surprised if he ever did anything outside of WWE. Congratulations to him on his incredible career. I loved our matches. It’s not like he’s riding off into the sunset—he has a lot of projects going on, and I wish him all the best.”

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Cena’s retirement tour is set to begin in December, taking the former World Heavyweight Champion through to the end of 2025, with final stops at the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania. By the conclusion of his retirement tour, Cena will have completed 23 years in WWE, having wrestled at least once a year every year since his debut in 2002.

Cena and Jericho share a rich history, having faced each other numerous times during their WWE careers. Jericho was one of Cena’s first major challengers following Cena’s rise to the top of the WWE card in 2005. Jericho’s multiple losses to Cena that year led to the storyline reason for Jericho’s first of many hiatuses from WWE in the 2000s.

What’s your take on John Cena wrapping up his in-ring career? Do you think Chris Jericho will follow Cena and retire afterward? Let us know what you think in the comments section!