WWE: Is John John Cena Officially a Part-Timer Following Roman Reigns Defeat?

Last night’s WWE No Mercy answered a lot of questions, however, one new question was raised following the show: is John Cena is now officially taking a step back from Sports Entertainment?

John Cena’s match at WWE No Mercy had the feel of a WrestleMania calibre match (and maybe it should have taken place at the grandest stage of them all), however, the match didn’t deliver. It started slow, featured a cool looking table spot, then ended abruptly with a Roman Reigns spear.

Conversely, one of the main talking points following Reigns’ victory wasn’t the Big Dog himself, but rather John Cena. After the match he soaked in the applause from the crowd, who were chanting “Thank You Cena” like he was about to retire. At the time, it seemed over the top, but now, well, maybe the crowd was right to take that stance?

Following the No Mercy PPV, Cena made an appearance on Raw Talk, which was interesting to say the least.

Jerry Lawler asked the 16x Champion point-blank whether he was retiring. (Thank’s Uproxx for the written quotes)

"“I just think my role is different. I had a podcast with Edge and Christian and I said the same thing. Regardless of whether I had outside opportunities or not, I’m 40 years old, and I have 15 years of track experience here in the WWE. And not at a normal level. At an elite level. And I don’t know how [much] longer I can keep it up.“If I had opportunities outside, great. If I didn’t — I gotta know when to say when, at that point. And I’m not done, but I don’t know if I can keep going at the pace that I’ve been going, and I think that’s a major thing for me to try to consider. This is my family. This is my life. I eat, breathe, and sleep WWE. And I don’t think anyone — whether they like me or they don’t — I don’t think anybody can argue that.“So I guess I’ll be like a weird Batman character. When they shine the light, I’ll come a-runnin’.”"

What Cena

is basically saying here is that at this point in his career, he’s starting to wind down. The reference to Batman was a good, moreover, it was his way of explaining he’s now going to be a part-time character – “when they shine the light, I’ll come a-runnin'”.

We’ve heard Cena reference his age and saying he’s not sure how long he can keep it up before, however, this time is feels different. This time it truly does feel like he’s starting to slow down and start a career elsewhere. Clearly, he’ll keep up appearances – just to make sure we don’t forget him – but aside that, don’t expect to see Cena on TV week-after-week.

Next: No Mercy 2017 Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

The former WWE Champion is still scheduled for Survivor Series, however, apart from that commitment (in 55 days), nothing else shows up on his schedule in terms of WWE dates. He’ll most likely be booked before hand to hype up the event, but again like I said, don’t expect to see the Franchise show up every week.