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John Cena is still very much involved in WWE and the wrestling business, even after his in-ring retirement in December 2026. The Never Seen 17 said the sentiment might be right, but he also made it clear he wasn’t in a position to question WWE’s creative process. In a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, John Cena addressed the idea that Gunther might have lost momentum after Cena retired.
He said, “I know there’s sentiment out there that like, ‘Man, they’re wasting GUNTHER! Hustle, loyalty, respect, perseverance, virtue, overcoming the odds, and giving the vote to the people”, said Cena. Speaking of his retirement, The Champ got real about the current status of Gunther, the man who defeated him via submission in his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Maybe currently they are. But I don’t see the view from the penthouse. I’m not in those meetings where they’re just looking at the whiteboard, connecting the dots. Maybe they’re just cooling him off. Maybe they’re putting him away from TV. I don’t know. “Now this year in December, I’m really excited about announcing the John Cena Classic. We’re gonna do an event based off all the memory, all the nostalgia, and the IP and the core values of the character, which is me. With John Cena ready to bring a new tournament to WWE fans, it will be interesting to see how it pans out with the audience.