John Cena & 4 other WWE wrestlers who retired in 2025

John Cena bid adieu to the world of professional wrestling last weekend at WWE's Saturday Night's Main Event. After entertaining the fans for more than two decades, The Cenation Leader went out with his head held high. But Cena wasn't the only legend to step away from the business this year. There have been several other retirements as well.

2025 will go down as an emotional ride for pro wrestling fans. Superstars and legends they grew up watching have hung up their boots this year, drawing the curtains on their in-ring careers. From a former Universal Champion to an original Mae Young Classic competitor, the list includes some elite names who have bid adieu to their wrestling career.

Let's talk about John Cena and four other wrestlers who retired this year:

#5. Meiko Satomura

Meiko Satomura had an impactful run in WWE. The Japanese superstar competed in the second Mae Young Classic in 2018 and went on to sign with NXT UK afterward. There, she became the NXT UK Women's Champion for over 450 days. Satomura competed in her last WWE TV match against Roxanne Perez at NXT Roadblock 2023, delivering a marquee showdown.

However, she left WWE shortly after that match to work in the independent scene of Japanese wrestling. In July 2024, the Joshi legend announced that she would retire in the coming year. On April 29, 2025, Meiko Satomura teamed up with Manami to defeat Aja Kong and Chihiro Hashimoto at an event called "Meiko Satomura THE FINAL" at the legendary Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

#4. Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger has been a controversial name in the world of professional wrestling. The All-American was with WWE from 2006 to 2017. In this tenure, he had a solid start, where Swagger went on to become World Heavyweight Champion after beating Chris Jericho. However, that marked the only big moment for him until he left the company in 2017.

In 2019, Jack Swagger made his debut in All Elite Wrestling and had a decent run with the promotion. However, things got heated between him and Tony Khan in 2025 after he made a critical remark about the AEW President. He left the company this year after his contract expired. On August 7, 2025, Jack announced his retirement from wrestling on the INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet podcast to focus on his trucking business in Florida.

#3. Goldberg

Goldberg made his return to the ring in 2016 for a feud with Brock Lesnar. This comeback lasted quite a long time, where the Hall of Famer even became a 2-time Universal Champion. After having a solid run in pro wrestling, the WCW Icon was looking to get closure for his career in 2025. He had a heated confrontation with Gunther at Bad Blood in 2024.

On June 16, 2025, on an episode of RAW, Goldberg returned to WWE to confront The Ring General. WWE quickly announced this match for its Saturday Night's Main Event in Atlanta, promoting it as the final match in the legend's wrestling career. After a 14-minute, solid match with The Ring General, the icon suffered a bitter loss in his hometown to mark an end to his 28-year career.

#2. Christopher Daniels

Christopher Daniels is widely considered one of the best in-ring wrestlers of all time. In his career of over 30 years, Daniels has competed across many different promotions, like WWE, AEW, and TNA. He had a pretty lackluster run in WWE from 1998 to 2001. The 55-year-old competed at various shows like Vengeance 2003 against Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Ron Simmons, and JBL.

His most iconic run was in TNA from 2002 to 2010, where Christopher Daniels had solid matches with AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. But his final years of wrestling were in AEW. In late 2024, Daniels was in a feud with Hangman Page. The two stars competed in a Texas Death Match at AEW Maximum Carnage on January 16, 2025. Shortly after that match, the veteran announced his retirement from wrestling to continue to work as AEW's Head of Talent Relations.

#1. John Cena retired from WWE

John Cena's retirement tour kicked off this year on RAW's Netflix debut in January. Although a few things went wrong, The Cenation Leader became a 17-time World Champion and also WWE Grand Slam Champion, cementing his legacy one final time. However, Cena competed in his final match on December 13, 2025 at Saturday Night's Main Event in Washington, D.C.

He faced the winner of the Last Time Is Now tournament, Gunther, in a gripping showdown for the ages. The two stars delivered incredible performances, where The Ring General made The Franchise Player tap out. Following the loss, John Cena bowed to the WWE Universe in gratitude for years of unwavering support before leaving his iconic "Never Give Up" armband in the ring, marking a symbolic full stop to his legendary in-ring career.

Edited by Subhasish Deb