In 2025, John Cena will begin his year-long retirement tour, marking the end of his legendary wrestling career. Surprisingly, he plans to appear at around 36 events. While there have been rumors about Kurt Angle returning to the ring to make Cena’s tour memorable, it’s been confirmed that won’t happen.
During an interview on The Takedown on SI, Angle clarified that he has no plans to return to the ring for Cena’s farewell tour. He said, “A lot of people ask me if I’m gonna wrestle Cena for his retirement tour. No, no, listen, my body.”
He added, “I have knee replacements, I had five neck surgeries, I had my back surgery last year. I have to have shoulder replacements. I am in no condition to be getting in the ring and wrestling.”
Kurt Angle says he will NOT be one of John Cena's final opponents in 2025 –
— SEScoops (@sescoops) November 15, 2024
“No. No, listen, my body … I have knee replacements, I had five neck surgeries, I had my back surgery last year. I have to have shoulder replacements. I am in no condition to be getting in the ring and… pic.twitter.com/dai8mdpjub
Kurt Angle, who last wrestled at WrestleMania 35 in 2019 against Baron Corbin, says he’s not returning to the ring to avoid further injury. Although he’s limited physically, Angle stays active in the wrestling world by supporting new talent through WWE’s ID program.
Kurt Angle reveals struggles of WWE’s attitude era
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently shared the challenges of wrestling during the Attitude Era in an interview with *Sports Illustrated*. Despite its excitement, Angle said it was one of the hardest times to compete due to the pressure to exceed expectations.
Angle, who debuted in WWE in 1999, shared his perspective on the intense environment of the Attitude Era. The gold medalist said, “It’s actually more difficult to work for WWE during a hot period. You have to outdo yourself from the prior week. I was very lucky to get in the business right in the peak of the Attitude Era. It was the best era in wrestling.”
“The crazy thing about back then was everybody was a star,” he explained. “It didn’t matter if you were the opening card match, mid-card match, or main event — you were a star, and your name was held in high regard.”
