A WWE legend says a John Cena-style farewell tour would have been “insincere.”

At Money in the Bank on July 6, John Cena made a surprise appearance and announced that he would officially retire from WWE in 2025. While many initially expected him to retire at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, Cena later clarified that he would wrestle year-round and his final match would be in December 2025.

Dave Bautista, meanwhile, had his final match at WrestleMania 35, losing to Triple H. Although he had planned for this to be his final match, there was no hype surrounding his retirement leading up to the event, and the former Batista later announced his retirement via social media.

“That’s the difference between us” – Dave Bautista compares himself to John Cena

In a new interview with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Dave Bautista spoke about his respect for John Cena, but also highlighted their differences, particularly in the way the two men handled retirement.

“I get along with John. I respect John a lot, a lot more than people think for some reason. I think the internet and the fans have created this rivalry between us that doesn’t really exist, but that’s what sets us apart. I would never do that (the farewell tour). I wouldn’t do it, I couldn’t do it. It would feel dishonest to me to walk around like that, and I just couldn’t do that.

But I understand that he wants to give it his all and thank all the fans personally, but something inside me just won’t let me do that… I retired the way I wanted to. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I announced my retirement on Instagram and I knew I would do it.”

h/t WrestlingInc