John Cena opened up about his upcoming retirement match during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, offering one of his most candid explanations yet about why his in-ring career is coming to a definitive close.

Cena reflected on how surreal the past year has been as he prepares for what he insists will be his true final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. He explained that announcing his retirement more than a year in advance was intentional, giving fans time to absorb something that is nearly unheard of in WWE.

“It’s been a crazy year. Just to bring everyone… except the three people in the audience who already know… up to speed, it has been a crazy year. I announced my retirement about 15 months in advance, which has really never been done in WWE history. WWE Superstars don’t typically retire; they always seem to hang on for one more match. But I am absolutely, 100% done. December 13th on Peacock is my last in-ring match. I will never wrestle again.

[What if you do wrestle again?]

Then you’ll be able to show this clip. You can call me a liar.”

Cena acknowledged the skepticism swirling around his retirement. Fans have seen countless farewell matches undone by one more return, but he stressed that his situation is different. He said he wanted to give people the chance to emotionally prepare, especially after spending two decades as a constant presence in their lives.

“But there’s a lot of skepticism out there because this has never really been done before. I just hope people can come to grips with it. The reason I wanted to give everyone so much lead time is that performing for two decades, people allowing me into their living rooms week after week, 52 weeks a year with no reruns, you build a real connection. Touring the world this past year has been beautiful. Meeting fans and hearing their stories and connections has meant a lot to me. I wanted to give people a heads-up so they could process it, however they needed to. Whatever closure they want. This beautiful connection we’ve had, I’m ending it now.”

Cena added that for anyone still convinced he will wrestle again, the aftermath of his final match may feel unsettling.

“And if you’re one of those people saying, ‘You’re never going to retire,’ after the 13th it’s going to feel weird because you won’t have the closure you wanted. So I really hope everybody tunes in to Saturday Night’s Main Event. It’s the last one I’ve got.”