The WWE franchise star has remained front and centre of the wrestling industry for a decade now, with no end in sight for any eventual finish to his dominance. Even now with him outside the title picture he is still the number one guy in the company. It looks like he will be around in this franchise star capacity for years to come. Don't fully count on it though. Cena hinted to Neil Cavuto of Fox News in November 2013 that his retirement from the ring could be sooner rather than later. Cena stated he made a pact with himself to "gracefully walk away" from WWE, saying that most pro athletes walk away in their mid thirties. Cena himself turns 37 this year. "A lot of these athletes that are married to their sport think this is going to last forever," Cena said. "Then, they blow out an ACL, they look around when they're 35 or 36 and their career is coming to an end and they act like the income stream is going to continue." Cena then hinted he would make a transition into the corporate side of WWE, "I truly am obsessed with my action in the ring, but I am also truly obsessed with the business of WWE ... I enjoy the workings of the company and how we create success in WWE, both in a brand perspective and an individual perspective." It sounds as if John is being realistic with himself, on the back of several major injuries in the last few years, he knows he can't go on forever. He has made HUGE money and done it all as a wrestler, arguably set to finish up as the most successful pro wrestler ever. As he approaches 40 he might now be ready to step aside, after all, Cena has the most exhausting schedule of and modern day WWE talent. He can't go on like this forever. Big Show noted last year that it's normal for John to go 70 days in a row without a day off. That statement was fact - Cena is constantly on the job doing media and other projects for the WWE. The problem with Cena retiring is that WWE need him. No one is anywhere near his level of marketable money making. Without him PPV buys, tv ratings and merchandise sales all drop. They can't afford to lose Cena much in the same way they couldn't afford to lose Rock or Austin (yet did to great detriment). The fact is this though, John Cena is approaching 40 and thinking about how long he wants to do this - WWE need to get to the job of creating new main event stars as soon as possible. Retirement Verdict: Five more years - 2019
