Summary

Paul Levesque says John Cena's return for WrestleMania 42 does not mean a return to the ring is coming with it.

Speaking during an interview with Joe Tessitore, Levesque said Cena still talks about WWE with unusual intensity, even while working outside wrestling, but added that he believes Cena means it when he says his in-ring career is over.

Cena is scheduled to host both nights of WrestleMania 42 after what WWE billed as his final match in December 2025. That bout ended with GUNTHER submitting Cena at Saturday Night's Main Event.

Cena's last WrestleMania match came in 2025, when he beat Cody Rhodes in the night two main event to win his 17th WWE world title. His return to host this year's show also adds another major name to a card Levesque recently framed as one WWE cannot easily replace at the top, as he said in a separate WrestleMania 42 discussion.

Quote from Paul Levesque

"It's incredible. In any sport or business or anything else, certain legends that transform the business or the sport itself, John (Cena) is one of those, right? John has become a household name globally, and there's a period of time where your body just can't do what you want it to do anymore, and I think for John, to have the moment where he gracefully bowed out in the way that he wanted to was phenomenal for him. But he loves this, and still has this incredible passion for it. It's funny, he can be on a movie set somewhere and he'll call me and I'll talk to him for five minutes and the intensity and the emotion of which he will talk to me about what he wants to talk about, there's oftentimes where I think to myself, I wonder if he's that passionate about the movie he's making? That can be an arduous task, and is he in this moment, like, when he goes back to talking about the passion for this, it's a different level. I don't know that answer but, I just know that he loves this. I do believe in his commitment that he will never wrestle, perform in-ring again."

What Cena's WrestleMania 42 role means for WWE

Cena hosting both nights keeps one of WWE's biggest crossover stars attached to WrestleMania 42 without undercutting the finality of his retirement. If Levesque's read is accurate, WWE gets the value of Cena's presence, name recognition and connection to the audience without turning every appearance into a tease for one more match.

It also sets a clearer expectation for fans heading into the weekend. Cena can still be part of WrestleMania's presentation and promotion, but the focus stays on the active roster rather than on building hope around another comeback.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.