John Cena has announced that he will be returning to WWE at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas on April 18-19.
The 17-time WWE world champion retired from the ring at Saturday Night’s Main Event at December 13, bowing out from his 23-year career with a loss to GUNTHER in Washington D.C.
Now, in what will be his first WWE appearance since his in-ring retirement, Cena has taken to Twitter to announce that he will not only be in Las Vegas for WrestleMania 42, but he will also be the guest host of the two-night event.
Cena said:
“Ah retired, life in the sun. I’m kidding, check out the backdrop. I’m shooting a movie for Netflix called ‘One Attempt Remaining’ which you can see when it comes out.
“I’m also on the road. Which is ironic because there’s a road to WrestleMania going on, and Hollywood is really close to Vegas.
“Rumor around this town is WrestleMania needs a host, well, I’m already on that road, so I will see you at WrestleMania.”
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John Cena Hosts WrestleMania 42, One Year After Winning World Title Number 17
WWE’s 2025 was all about John Cena’s year-long farewell tour, and perhaps the crowning moment of his final run came at WrestleMania 41 when Cena dethroned Cody Rhodes to win his record 17th WWE Championship.
While the match itself and its finish were widely criticized by fans, Cena surpassing Ric Flair in the wrestling history books made WrestleMania 41 a fitting final match at the event for WWE’s “Greatest of All Time.”
Although Cena will not be competing at WrestleMania 42, his appearance will be his 21st at the “Grandest Stage of Them All.”
The last time Cena appeared at WrestleMania in a non-wrestling capacity was at 2024’s WrestleMania 40, where he returned to help Cody Rhodes during his Undisputed WWE Title Match with Roman Reigns.
Could John Cena Get Physical At WrestleMania 42?
This will be the big question on fans’ minds heading into the two-night event, will Cena’s adamance that he is retired from the ring also mean that he will never again get physical in WWE again?
While wrestling retirements are historically dubious, very few expect Cena to go back on his word and lace up his boots again for a proper match. But that perhaps doesn’t mean that Cena has given out his last Attitude Adjustment.
GUNTHER – the man who has been riding high since retiring Cena and AJ Styles – is currently without plans at WrestleMania 42, so perhaps we could see Cena get a bit of revenge on him at WrestleMania 42.
Alternatively, given his history with both men we could maybe see Cena involved in Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton, whether that be as a special guest referee or just via a surprise interference during the match.
Whatever the case, Cena’s first WWE appearance since retirement should give us a better idea of what to expect from the future Hall of Famer when he makes more returns in the future.
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