John Cena Explains Recent Wardrobe Change, Adamant the "F---ing Jorts are Retired" [Exclusive]

When John Cena made his return to WWE this month, his attire was noticeably different from his last few appearances on company programming.

Following his retirement at Saturday Night's Main Event last December, the Never Seen 17-Time World Champion swapped out his trademark jorts, ball cap, and a T-shirt for a new look: a fitted suit, which he wore for his hosting duties at WrestleMania 42 and when he first announced the upcoming John Cena Classic at Backlash a month later.

When fans saw Cena at the Barclays Center for Monday Night Raw and the WWE Performance Center for NXT last week, he had already traded in his Cody Rhodes' best for a more familiar uniform, with one major difference.

John Cena promises that the jorts are fully retired

"Those weren't jorts in Brooklyn, and they weren't jorts on NXT. I'm wearing cargo shorts," Cena told The Takedown on SI. "I'm not wearing any wristbands, I don't have a towel and I don't have any knee pads. So, when I said the jorts are retired, the f----ing jorts are retired."

Cena said the biggest mistake he made for his return to Brooklyn was that he chose blue cargo shorts, but noted that white or green would not have matched the grey in his T-shirt as nicely.

Jorts or no jorts, you may be wondering why the Greatest of All Time decided to switch back to a style more reminiscent of his in-ring days, and in order to understand, you have to know why he first donned a suit this past April in Las Vegas.

"I don't wanna confuse the consumer. If I show up in dress shoes in a suit with a pocket watch, hopefully the consumer isn't gonna think one more match. John's not really done. That didn't work. They still chanted one more match. And I love wearing suits. Also, Cody Rhodes gets beat up in suits. So, the one thing I was trying to accomplish was really murky."

As Cena was hammering out the final details for the John Cena Classic, which will take place on Monday, December 14, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, he was also seriously considering how he would present himself upon his return to television.

He ultimately landed on a more familiar, more comfortable look that better resonates with the WWE Universe.

"How do I feel most at home here? I love running to the ring. I love when the energy of the audience is there, and I can bounce around the ropes. If you look at WrestleMania, and those events that I show up in Tampa in a suit, I'm walking [very] carefully to the ring. The bottom of those shoes are slick, and I like a fitted suit, so I'm also worried about busting my pants."

This was not a decision that Cena reached lightly. It was extraordinarily thought out, with all the pros and cons properly weighed. In the end, the added benefits of an energetic, yet more relaxed environment, beat out the potential of additional audience confusion.

"I'm gonna bear the burden if people have the opinion [that I] went back on [my] word... but I changed my mind," Cena said. "I think the cargoes, the sneaks, the T-shirt, and the ball cap- that's what I would wear to the event anyway, as a fan. So why don't I wear that?"

Choosing between a suit and cargo shorts may seem inconsequential to the average viewer, but everything Cena does in his post-wrestling career is executed in a way that leaves no doubt whether he's truly done with in-ring competition.

He's adopted a strict no-falling-down policy, which will be easier to fulfill sans slippery dress shoes, and interactions with active roster talent will have a purpose and not give the audience the wrong idea.

"The only thing that matters is I control what I do, and if it's one of those things where a talent is like, 'Hey, man, maybe I can come out and talk some trash about you.' Okay, where's the payoff? Where are we building? You're wasting your air, you're wasting space. If you call me out, that's great. You have a few good zingers about me. Good for you, but you're building something, and you're influencing the consumer to something that you'll never get. We're never gonna deliver on this. So, use me as a conduit to call somebody else out."

HISTORY 🤩@JohnCena has officially invited @NoamDar and @Itsbbyromeo to join the John Cena Classic!! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/cyZn7Rnmi7
— WWE (@WWE) November 11, 2026

This is why when Cena and longtime rival Randy Orton crossed paths last week, John offered him no more than a tip of the cap. It's the same reason why Cena says he turned down an offer from The Miz to deliver one more Attitude Adjustment at WrestleMania 42, and any interaction he has with members of the SmackDown locker room tonight in Fort Lauderdale will follow similar guidelines.

These days, John Cena is a diplomat for WWE. No more, no less, and it's all by design.

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