The match we’d all been waiting for was finally here! It was supposed to be John Cena’s Final Match, the 17-time world champ, the guy everyone calls the real champ. The crowd went wild when he came out; everyone was on their feet, cheering him on for what could be the last time. Lilian Garcia gave Gunther and John Cena amazing introductions.
Before things got started, Cena took a moment to acknowledge all the WWE Superstars and legends who were there to see his final match. Then, the bell rang, and the main event was officially underway.
The Road to Cena’s Retirement Match
The 16-man tournament had wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, plus other superstars outside of WWE announced as Zack Ryder and Dolph Ziggler. It was a show-off of the past, present, and future colliding, and as the tournament went on, only two names were visible above the rest – Gunther and LA Knight. Gunther not only passed but basically crushed Je’Von Evans, Carmelo Hayes, and Solo Sikoa with ease. At the same time, Knight defeated Ryder, The Miz, and Jey Uso to turn up at the final.
During the December 5 episode of SmackDown, Gunther dominated LA Knight after they exchanged brutal blows in a fight to be the one to face John Cena.
Cena vs Gunther: Match Review
As soon as the match began, Cena attacked the Ring General with a barrage of strikes, establishing himself as the dominant force in the match early on. Gunther, however, was able to counter with a hard-hitting chop, but Cena was able to catch his arm and follow up with back-to-back shoulder tackles that sent Gunther’s body crashing into the mat on his back.
Following this, Cena executed a Five Knuckle Shuffle on Gunther. The crowd erupted as Cena went for his first “Attitude Adjustment”, however Gunther countered with a German suplex followed by a devastating clothesline.
The match went back and forth like crazy. Cena hit Gunther with some shoulder tackles and finally landed his Attitude Adjustment finisher, but Gunther kicked out at two, which shocked everyone. Gunther then put Cena in a sleeper hold, making Cena struggle to get free. Cena managed to reverse it, but Gunther got to the ropes and then slammed Cena into the apron and steel steps.
Gunther then dragged the ring steps over to the announce desk, stood on top of them, sat Cena down, and cleared the table. Just when it looked like Gunther had it won, Cena found some strength, lifted Gunther onto his shoulders, and slammed him through the announce desk with another Attitude Adjustment. The crowd went wild as Cena got Gunther back in the ring, but Gunther still wouldn’t stay down.
The last few moments were as emotional as they were tragic. Gunther and Cena were brawling with forearm strikes when Cena tried to perform one last Attitude Adjustment. Gunther got away, threw Cena down with a powerbomb, followed it with a Frog Splash, and almost got the victory.
Cena managed to kick out, but the damage to his shoulder had already been done. So, Gunther wasted no time in securing a sleeper hold on the shoulder of the obviously injured Cena.
Cena kept struggling and tried to free himself by power, but Gunther’s hold was getting tighter and tighter. Very few moments after, the event that no one could have thought happened.
John Cena tapped out.
After a moment of disbelief, the referee pointed to the bell. Gunther had beaten the greatest of all time. The end of John Cena’s illustrious career was not the stuff of fireworks but rather a moment of stark reality respect earned, legacy secured, and a new era established.
John Cena’s Final Match Result: Gunther defeats John Cena
