Subhojeet Mukherjee on December 30, 2025
WWE is closing out 2025 with major momentum—but not everyone is thrilled with how the year wrapped. One of the loudest critics? Austin Theory, who took aim at wrestling legends and their long, emotional retirement tours.
Speaking on the RAW Recap Show, Austin Theory went off about the recent string of retirement tours—most notably John Cena’s year-long farewell in 2025, which ended with Cena tapping out to GUNTHER in December.
Theory first reacted to Sam Roberts’ comment that Cena’s farewell felt like a symbolic exit for a whole generation of stars—and a green light for younger talent like Theory to finally stop waiting in the wings.
“It’s funny you say retirement tour, and CM Punk saying he’s not ready to go. Maybe that’s him pitching his retirement tour,” Theory said, suggesting that Cena wasn’t the only one angling for a drawn-out exit.
Then he went further—accusing WWE legends of milking their farewells and overstaying their welcome at the expense of new stars.
“Because all these guys just want a retirement tour. It’s like, come on! You got to leave for a year, and we have to say goodbye to you each night for a year? How drawn out is that? How ridiculous is that? How ego hungry are you?”
Theory didn’t stop there. He rattled off just how excessive these farewell tours feel in today’s WWE ecosystem.
“You’re such a good guy, but man, we gotta say goodbye to you on Monday, maybe Fridays, definitely on the PLEs, definitely on WrestleMania, then maybe we’ll just make one big show all about you.”
The Vision member even tossed out names like Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, CM Punk—and even Penta—saying it’s gotten out of control.
“It’s insane. It’s insane. It’s crazy. What, Rey Mysterio gets one, Punk gets one, AJ Styles is gonna get one—what, is Penta gonna get one too? What are we doing?”
Love him or hate him, Austin Theory has made it clear: he’s not here for nostalgia tours—he’s here to take over. Theory is making it known: the era of bowing down to legends might be over.
Do you agree with Austin Theory, or are WWE legends entitled to their long goodbyes? Drop your thoughts in the comments—who deserves a retirement tour, and who doesn’t?
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
December 30, 2025 11:08 am
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