John Cena stopped being a full-time wrestler in late 2015, when he temporarily left the ring to lead the first season of American Grit. Due to the many film commitments, John appeared on WWE shows for six months in 2016 and 2017 and for three months in 2018. Despite the absences, criticisms and demonstrations of affection that accompanied his career. In 2019 Cena he remained one of the most important wrestlers of WWE and the idol of the smallest and most occasional fans.
Cena then appeared at WrestleMania 35, but in his Doctor of Thuganomics persona and interrupted Elias' concert. During the segment, he insulted Elias with a rap, joked about turning heel, and performed his finisher on Elias, but called it by its original name, the F-U. Cena returned on July 22, 2019, special edition of Raw titled as Raw Reunion where he had a rap battle with The Usos.
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he talked about his relationship with Vince McMahon: “He is so much more than that to me. He is a friend, a father figure, a mentor, a trusting resource, he’s filled with wisdom, but above all else, yes, I still think of him as my boss. I always like for them to give me ideas and then me to kind of make it my own.”