announced Saturday night that he will retire from professional wrestling next year after two decades in the ring.

The wrestler-turned-actor delivered a heartfelt speech to a stadium of fans in Toronto, who booed in disappointment as Cena said the 2025 season would be his last. He promised a farewell tour with dozens of dates and an epic final fight, and he assured fans he would remain involved with the wrestling franchise that launched his career.

鈥淭hank you so much for letting me play in the house that you built for so many years,鈥� Cena told the crowd.

In a news conference after the event, Cena told reporters that he feels physically 鈥渁t my end,鈥� but that doesn鈥檛 mean he needs to distance himself from the sport he loves.

Cena is a 16-time WWE champion who burst onto the scene in the early 2000s as the fan-favorite 鈥淒octor of Thuganomics,鈥� a rapper character decked in gold chains and a backwards hat who challenged his wrestling opponents to rap battles. He went on to portray other popular characters, both in the ring and on the big screen.

Cena played starring roles in the films 鈥淏lockers鈥� and 鈥淭he Suicide Squad.鈥� He has made multiple appearances in the 鈥淔ast & Furious鈥� franchise and appeared most recently in the comedy thriller 鈥淎rgylle鈥� and the box office hit 鈥淏arbie.鈥�

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