Dave Bautista Explains Why He Couldn't Have Done A WWE Retirement Tour Like John Cena

John Cena announced in July at Money in the Bank that he will officially be retiring from in-ring competition at the end of next year, and will be starting a retirement tour this coming January. One of Cena's greatest rivals, Dave Bautista, recently commented on his decision to retire in 2025, stating that he could never deliver a farewell tour to the fans, and wouldn't feel comfortable doing it either. Speaking on "Insight," Bautista shared his admiration for Cena, but admitted that he's very different from the 16-time World Champion, and doesn't like to make a "big deal" in respect to his career accolades. 

"I get along with John. I respect John a lot, a lot more than people think I do for some reason. I think the internet and I think fans have built this rivalry between us, which there really isn't, but this is how we're different. I would never do this [retirement tour]. I wouldn't, I couldn't. It would feel disingenuous to me to go around, and I just couldn't. But where I see his point where he wants to go around, and he wants to personally thank all the fans, but there's just something in me where I just couldn't do it ... I retired the way I wanted. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I announced my retirement on Instagram, and I knew I was going to do it." 

Bautista also explained that he didn't want to tell anybody about retiring  because he didn't feel like having to make an appearance or preparing a speech, and expressed that the idea of it all would've felt "false" to him. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.