12/14/2025
I was wrong about the finish, but what we got was so much better.
There are a lot of pi**ed off wrestling fans right now, and that reaction is understandable. People wanted to see the hero get his good ending. Instead, what we got felt like a betrayal of the character they had believed in for decades.
John Cena has spent his entire career telling the world to “Never Give Up.” That is his whole identity. Him giving up would be like The Undertaker admitting he is not really dead, or Stone Cold Steve Austin turning down a beer. John Cena choosing to tap out was never supposed to be on the table.
My original prediction was for Gunther to put Cena in this exact situation and win, but only by Cena passing out. His body would give out, but he would never choose to quit. That outcome would have protected Cena’s character while still giving Gunther a massive victory.
Veterans of the business understand that the right thing to do on the way out is to put over the next generation. John Cena did that throughout this match. What I did not expect was for him to submit, and WWE made that choice for a few very specific reasons.
1. This puts Gunther over completely, which is the correct move from a business standpoint. He will get enormous heat and will continue to remind everyone that he retired Goldberg and John Cena. Gunther said he would make Cena give up, and he delivered on that promise.
2. Cena tapping out confirms that he is no longer portraying that version of himself. There is a clear difference between “Super Cena” and the real John Cena, and this moment was meant to close the door on that character.
Going forward, he is just himself. A human being like the rest of us, who sometimes chooses to give up when it makes sense. The idea of never giving up is admirable, but in real life, it is not always the smartest option.
3. Everyone will remember this. The shock. The anger. The backlash. I would not put it on the same level as The Undertaker losing his streak, but it is not far off. This is the kind of moment people will still be talking about decades from now. They gave Cena one last defining moment, and he embraced it fully.
While in Gunther’s grasp, Cena smirked. He knew exactly what he was about to do. That was the real Cena, fully aware of how fans would react to the tap out. He knew people would be furious and believe he deserved better. He knew Triple H would take the blame for “making him do it,” even though this was almost certainly a decision they agreed on together.
I was genuinely shocked by the tap out. Not only because I have not seen Cena do that since the mid-2000s, but because I knew the reaction would be explosive. Fans wanted a happy ending, or at the very least an ending that kept his character intact.
This shattered the idea of Super Cena always finding a way. It is not what people wanted, but this is wrestling. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to elevate someone like Gunther, and there is no bigger sacrifice than Cena’s retirement match after a year-long build.
Now we move forward. It is going to hurt for a while, but I believe Cena had already made peace with this before the night even began. I do not think this was a last-minute call, or something he was forced into by Triple H or management. As he said many times leading into this match, he wanted to help the next generation, and this was the biggest thing he could do for Gunther.
WWE did something brave at Saturday Night’s Main Event. They went all in despite knowing the backlash would be severe. This is a fitting end to Cena’s career. Some people will probably attack me for saying that, but honestly, I believe this was the right decision for the future.
Leave the past in the past. It is time to build a new WWE, with John Cena working behind the scenes as a mentor and colleague to the men and women we see on TV each week. I choose to thank Cena for his career and for delivering one hell of a performance, win or lose.
Thank you Cena, and thank you for reading. ❤️
-Kyle
