John Cena Addresses Potential 17th World Title Win

At the 2024 WWE Money in the Bank event in Toronto, John Cena announced his retirement from professional wrestling. While his farewell tour is scheduled to start next year, Cena has now addressed going after his 17th World Title reign.

In his announcement, John Cena revealed that he will be involved in transitioning WWE RAW to Netflix. He also shared that his final wrestling appearances will be at the Royal Rumble, the Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania 2025. Instead of having a single retirement match, Cena will undertake a farewell tour in 2025, covering multiple dates. His in-ring career is scheduled to end in December 2025.

In a recent interview with the Club Shay Shay podcast, John Cena talked about the possibility of winning his 17th world championship before retiring. He acknowledged that while there are some long-shot scenarios where this could happen, earning a title shot requires a story-driven purpose and consistent performance. Cena pointed out that he has been a part-timer since 2018 and has not won a match since then, describing it as a significant slump he needs to overcome.

“I don’t know if that’s gonna happen. I think what’s interesting about the tour is there are some jackpot long-shot scenarios where it can happen. But to win a number-one contendership in a story-driven purpose, you have to earn it. I had my chances. I’ve been a part-timer now since like 2018. That’s six years. I’ve had my chances of coming back and being like, ‘I want you in a match.’ I haven’t won a match since 2018. That’s a slump. Step one, I need to bust the slump.”

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Cena also mentioned that he does not want to take someone else’s spot and believes that fans would see through such actions. He noted that winning the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, or Money in the Bank briefcase could provide shortcuts to a title shot. However, he emphasized the need to start winning matches in January to have a chance at fighting for the title by December.

“If I win the Royal Rumble, I get an automatic chance. There’s been stakes put on the Elimination Chamber. If I win that, I might get an automatic chance at the championship. The Money in the Bank suitcase is a suitcase for a championship match anytime anywhere. So, that’s what’s cool about doing it over a year. There are these lottery chances where it could be like, ‘Yo, he may break the record.’ If that’s even an option, I gotta start winning in January and I might earn a shot by December.” 

John Cena also explained why he will retire from in-ring competition in 2025, so we will have to wait and see whether John Cena will end up making history by becoming a 17-time World Champion when all is said and done.

Do you want to see John Cena become a 17-time World Champion before he retires for good? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!