Former WWE Champion John Cena has said his time is up, and it is now time for someone else to become the next top star in WWE. 

Riffing on his entrance theme, Cena, who has appeared less on WWE programming in recent years, said someone else's "time is now", in an interview with Sports Illustrated. 

Cena was recently awarded the publication's 'Muhammad Ali Legacy' award, due to his sporting accolades and philanthropic ventures outside of the ring.

Speaking about his record-breaking 500+ wishes granted for the Make A Wish Foundation, the Chaingang leader said he carried the joy he has granted to hundreds of ill children with him every day.

He said: "We all have bad days, but when I find myself taking a turn down that road, I literally just stop and ask myself, 'O.K., what's so bad?'"

After becoming the main star of WWE in 2005, Cena remained on top for a decade, but has appeared less in recent years, focussing more on his acting career.

Amongst his list of works include Blockers, the Animated film Ferdinand, and the upcoming Transformers prequel, Bumblebee, which is slated for a Boxing Day release.

When asked about participating in the 2016 We Are America video, which equated patriotism with a celebration of diversity, Cena said he had no hesitations about being in the video, despite other people's concerns.

"There were people saying, are you sure? I said, Yeah, I'm absolutely sure, because this is something that I believe in.... Every once in a while we need to be reminded everyone is welcome here," he said.