'Wrestling Is Very Addictive' - Ric Flair on Whether John Cena Will Remain Retired

John Cena has been a man of his word throughout his career, and fans knew when he announced his retirement plans at Money in the Bank in June 2024 that this was truly the last time. The 48-year-old has been working on a part-time schedule since 2018, but many were stunned when he revealed to the world that he was set to embark on a year-long Farewell Tour.

WWE has been criticised for mis-handling the tour and Cena's disappointing heel run, which could have seen him adopt a "Hollywood" gimmick to tie into his current priority of a successful acting career. But fans still adore 'The Last Real Champion', who has put on some classics, including a sensational SummerSlam main event with Cody Rhodes.

Ric Flair alluded to Cena's Hollywood career when giving his take on whether he will remain retired. He told Escapist Magazine:

"John is making so damn much money in the movies right now. He doesn’t need to do anything else. I hope that he’ll walk away and stay away. Wrestling is very addictive. When you’ve done it as long as John has, over 20 years, it’s hard to change your way of life."

Flair vouched for Cena to break his record before he accomplished said feat at WrestleMania. The pair share a strong friendship, which the Nature Boy also touched on:

"I see John periodically, but I can’t say enough nice things about John Cena. He’s a wonderful person, and he is very happily married, his wife is lovely. They’re building a new home here in Tampa."

Cena has been busy balancing his farewell tour with his Hollywood commitments, including starring in HBO's Peacemaker series. It was thanks to WWE that he got his first taste of an acting career outside of the squared circle when he starred in WWE Films' production 'The Marine' all the way back in 2006.

Ric Flair on Why He Couldn't Stay Retired After WrestleMania 24

One of the very best retirement stories in WWE history concluded at WrestleMania 24 when Ric Flair seemed to call time on his career after losing to close friend Shawn Michaels. Vince McMahon put Flair's career on the line in every match he competed in for several months until he was finally defeated by HBK.

An emotional Flair waved goodbye to fans and the wrestling ring, both at the Florida Citrus Bowl and on RAW the night after. Even The Undertaker paid tribute in a huge send-off for Naitch, who seemed to close the book on a storied career in 2008.

That was until Flair joined TNA two years later and came out of retirement and competed in several matches during the Hulk Hogan era of IMPACT. He admitted that financial issues were a key reason as to why he laced up his boots again before officially competing in his final match at a 2022 PPV titled 'Ric Flair's Last Match'.

Flair told Chris Van Vliet just before his final match alongside then-son-in-law Andrade El Idolo against Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett that the financial strain of divorce and his health played their part:

"I probably didn't need to but I kind of missed it too. I sure could have worked around it, I never considered bankruptcy as an option."

Flair explained that he had to pay expensive hospital bills but that the very final match wasn't about money at all. He won that tag match at the age of 73 and hasn't competed in a ring since.

Fans reflect on the 76-year-old's retirement by separating his WrestleMania 24 farewell from his post-WWE ventures in TNA. Unlike Cena, he didn't have a Hollywood career to focus on.