John Cena couldn’t leave professional wrestling behind as he made his return to the WWE stage less than five months after retiring.
For those who don’t know, the 48-year-old professional wrestler and actor played his last WWE match against Gunther on December 13, 2025 during Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, DC. He lost the match that marked the end of his 24-year career.
On Saturday, April 18, 2026, Cena took to the ring at WrestleMania; this time, however, he returned as host. The 42nd annual WrestleMania, a two-day event that took place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, concludes on April 19, 2026.
As his entrance theme, The Time is Now, played, the 17-time WWE World Champion walked onto the stage. The crowd’s cheers followed him all the way until he entered the 42nd annual WrestleMania.
Cena started the event by saying, “Wow, I didn’t expect that. Thank you so much,” adding, “Sorry, long-time fan, long-time artist, first time host. How am I doing so far?”
Referring to people’s differing opinions on this year’s WrestleMania, he joked, “Now I understand why I got the hosting gig. This is the moment I love the most, especially heading into WrestleMania.”
Cena said, “We’re all here for the same reason, because we know the time to talk is now, the time to get results is now, and we’re all here with one thing in mind: ‘Who will stand up tonight and get results?'”
The crowd cheered louder again as he admitted, “It’s such a great honor.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, and everyone watching around the world, welcome to WrestleMania!” Cena officially started the event by saying:
