WWE legend and former world heavyweight champion finally confirms his retirement five years since his last match

A WWE legend has ruled out coming back for John Cena's retirement matches.

Cena, 47, is set to call it quits at the end of 2025.

First, he will have a series of retirement matches as he says goodbye to the promotion.

Kurt Angle, however, will not return to face Cena.

Angle, 55, last wrestled in April 2019 after facing Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35 in New Jersey.

While appearing on the podcast, Angle was asked about potentially entering the ring one last time for Cena's retirement matches.

In response, Angle admitted that, while he reckons he could get it booked, his body simply wouldn't hold up to it.

The WWE legend said: "Listen, I'm sure if I made a call, I could make it happen.

"But there's no way I can do it. But I would love to be one of John Cena's retirement matches."

Angle then revealed that he'd wanted Cena to be his last opponent before retirement, only for Vince McMahon to have had other ideas.

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"I mean, I'm the one [with whom] he had his first match," Angle added. "I wanted John to be my retirement match.

"I don't know if you knew that, but I requested that to Vince. 'You're gonna have to wait till next year because you have a programme with Baron Corbin.'

"So I was like, 'OK. I don't think I can go another year, Vince.' He said, Well, then it is what it is.'"

Angle also claimed that he felt his previous 2006 WWE departure had left a sour taste with McMahon.

He said: "I love Baron Corbin, but I just felt that my second time in WWE, I wasn’t so much appreciated.

"I think it has a lot to do with me leaving the company high and dry in 2006 and going straight to TNA.

"I was supposed to go back to WWE in six months. Vince wanted me to take six months off and come back. So literally, when I left his office and I quit, I called TNA and got a contract that day.

"I didn’t wait a second. I knew what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go and I think they were like, ‘OK, well if he comes back we’re going to teach him a little lesson,’ which is fine.

"I understood… I love my TNA run.

"I think I came into my own right around 2006 when I was having my best wrestling, and that’s when I moved over to TNA."