A long-standing custom in professional wrestling dictates that a wrestler departing a promotion typically exits with a defeat — to «do the honors» — for someone who will continue to be part of the organization.
This is precisely what John Cena accomplished in his last bout against Gunther during «Saturday Night’s Main Event.» He exited valiantly, performing an act in the ring that he hadn’t executed in two decades, to further promote a younger talent who is set to play a significant role in WWE’s future. It was an emotional evening at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., which evoked a spectrum of feelings among fans: exhilaration, sorrow, frustration, and gratitude.
No post-match twists occurred. As Cena had assured, Saturday night was genuinely «The Last Time» for the career of arguably WWE’s all-time greatest superstar.
Cena bestows Gunther with a new ‘legend killer’ nickname
Gunther was met with a barrage of boos as he made his entrance, and after a prolonged wait, Cena finally emerged to a resounding cheer. Every moment — the sprint to the ring, the slide into the ring, the salute — held immense significance for the fans, and Cena didn’t overlook any of it. He then stepped outside to embrace notable figures in attendance, including Kevin Owens, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Haku, Michelle McCool, and Sami Zayn.
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Once the bell rang, Gunther quickly seized the initiative with powerful strikes, rarely easing off the pressure. He controlled most of the first half of the contest, easily gaining the edge despite Cena’s best attempts. Cena’s peak offensive moment came when he executed an Attitude Adjustment through the announcer’s table, thrilling the crowd. He followed this with a five-knuckle shuffle and engaged the audience, exclaiming, «I need to hear you … this is the last one!» In a final twist of irony, the man who once faced boos for kicking out of his opponents’ finishing moves started receiving «Super Cena» and «Don’t give up» chants as he battled through a sleeper hold. The referee performed an old-school three-arm raise, and on the third attempt, Cena gave his trademark A-OK before Gunther landed consecutive strikes and returned to the sleeper hold, ultimately forcing Cena to tap out — marking the first time Cena had been submitted in a match since 2005.
Gunther has now taken down both Goldberg and Cena and may be entering a phase where he becomes the quintessential «legend killer,» if he has the chance to compete against superstars approaching retirement, such as AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar.
After the bout and a tribute video, Cena acknowledged each corner of the ring as he was surrounded by fellow WWE superstars, removed his shoes and armbands, leaving them in the ring. As he ascended the ramp towards backstage, he offered one last salute and addressed the camera, «It’s been a pleasure serving you all these years. Thank you.»
It was a poignant, straightforward, and appropriate conclusion for someone who has had such a significant impact as Cena has on WWE.
Cody Rhodes perfectly articulated it during the postshow when he noted that Cena has conducted everything «by the book,» including his exit the WWE way. Cena left magnificently and passed on to Gunther — a wrestler who will help elevate WWE in the years to come — the honor of being the one who concluded the career of «the greatest of all time.»
Oba Femi is primed for his WWE call-up now
The bout between Femi and Rhodes was an excellent choice to kick off the show because, as the second-most notable match on the card following Cena vs. Gunther, the separation between the two contests allowed both to shine.
Any avid professional wrestling fan can observe NXT’s Femi, standing at 6-foot-6 and over 300 pounds, and confidently declare, «This guy is a future WrestleMania headliner.»
From the «I scouted your moves» counters in the initial moments of the match against Undisputed WWE champion Rhodes to impressive displays of strength, including a running European uppercut over the announcer’s table that sent both wrestlers airborne and left Rhodes’ ear bloodied, Femi displayed numerous notable moments.
Drew McIntyre intervened, resulting in a disqualification, but that led to Femi and Rhodes executing their finishers on McIntyre before raising each other’s hands in a mutual show of respect.
Many wrestling fans would have preferred a clear winner in this matchup, but the key takeaway, irrespective of the outcome, is the promising star potential of Femi. His skills were on full display, and he certainly attracted numerous new fans.
When Femi is inevitably promoted from NXT, he will already have a strong foundation established. As for Rhodes, he has one more clash with McIntyre — likely at Royal Rumble or on the Jan. 5 episode of «Raw» — before continuing his journey toward WrestleMania.
Sol Ruca achieves the biggest victory of her career
The encounter with Bayley had some glitches, yet Ruca exhibited her remarkable athleticism and acrobatic offense. Following some back-and-forth technical wrestling, Ruca cleverly utilized her height to reach the ropes during a pin attempt.
Ruca executed a Sol Snatcher, leading to a surprising pin attempt by Bayley, but Ruca countered and secured the most significant win of her career.
This victory substantially enhances Ruca’s standing and does not adversely impact Bayley’s status at all.
Emerging talent seizes a unique opportunity
Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater wasted no time delivering synchronized superkicks right at the onset, then followed with spectacular dives to the outside, catching WWE stars AJ Styles and Dragon Lee off-balance.
The high-energy match concluded with Styles slipping off the top ropes during a springboard — an uncommon slip for the «Phenomenal One» that Slater swiftly remedied with a near pinfall before Styles countered with a Styles Clash for the victory.
As was the motif of the night, all four competitors expressed mutual respect and admiration for each other and Cena after the bout. Evans, competing in NXT, and Slater, from TNA, were in a unique position to showcase their skills against WWE veterans, and they certainly delivered.
