John Cena WWE

How John Cena Came to Host WWE WrestleMania 42

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Matt Black | Last updated Apr 2, 2026 1:16 PM ET

John Cena will return to WWE programming sooner than many expected to host WrestleMania 42 later this month.

The WWE retirement tour of John Cena wrapped up last December at Saturday Night's Main Event when the "Never Seen 17" tapped out to Gunther in his final match. Based on his comments following the event, it didn't seem like we'd see Cena back on WWE programming any time soon.

However, in a move that surprised many, John Cena announced earlier this week that he would be the official host of WrestleMania 42. Cena will return to the same city and venue where he defeated Cody Rhodes last year to capture his 17th World Championship.

But how did all of this come about?

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John Cena hosting WrestleMania 42 wasn't the original plan

On the latest episode of WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, it was revealed that when John Cena retired from WWE as an active in-ring competitor last December, his hosting WrestleMania this year wasn't part of the plan.

John Cena agreed to a new long-term deal with WWE following his retirement, keeping him with the company for several years to come. WrestleVotes states that Cena was approached back in February about hosting the Showcase of the Immortals this year, and he agreed to do so.

It was noted that WWE made this move to increase ticket sales for WrestleMania 42, which are still far behind those for last year's event in the same stadium.

The WrestleMania 42 card is starting to come together

WWE

We're just a few weeks out from WWE's biggest show of the year and the card is starting to fully take shape with only a couple of more matches to be added.

As things stand right now, there are 12 matches announced for the two-night show. WrestleVotes is reporting that the current plan is to have 14 matches. However, WWE could always change or adjust that number in the weeks ahead.

One match that will likely be added is the WWE World Tag Team Champions Logan Paul and Austin Theory teaming with IShowSpeed to take on The Usos and LA Knight. With the other match likely being a match that will see Giulia defending the Women's United States Championship, but after the victory over Tiffany Stratton last week on SmackDown, that is far from a sure thing.

WWE

WrestleVotes reports there is also talk of potentially adding names from AAA and SmackDown into the Intercontinental Championship Ladder match. As for former United States Champion Carmelo Hayes, WWE is aware of the online criticism over removing him from the title picture on Friday, but there is no update on whether he'll be added to the card.

The Takedown on SI will have live coverage of WWE WrestleMania 42 later this month.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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