Vince McMahon Hits NYC Hot Spot W/ John Cena, 1st Public Sighting Since WWE Retirement

Vince McMahon celebrated his 77th birthday with his good friend, John Cena, yesterday ... in his first public sighting since retiring as the CEO and Chairman of WWE last month.

The 77-year-old billionaire hit up the Waverly Inn restaurant in NYC ... and was naturally joined by Cena, the 16-time WWE champion, and his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh.

Interestingly enough ... an unidentified woman was seen walking behind Vince as he prepared to get into his sprinter van. McMahon's wife Linda was absent.

You'll recall ... Vince resigned, then officially retired, after the Wall Street Journal published a story several months ago, claiming the WWE honcho paid multiple women "hush money" over the years.

McMahon's retirement sent shockwaves through the sports entertainment world ... and he's maintained a relatively low profile since announcing the news in mid-July.

Vince appeared to have no interest in talking ... as he tried hiding his face as he was getting into his vehicle.