Arda OcalDec 14, 2025, 12:23 AM ET
The time-honored tradition in professional wrestling is for a wrestler who is departing a company to go out with a loss -- to "do the honors" -- for someone who will be a part of the promotion moving forward.
That's exactly what John Cena did in his final match against Gunther on "Saturday Night's Main Event." He went out on his shield, doing something in the ring that he hadn't done in 20 years, to further establish a younger superstar who will be among those carrying WWE for years to come. It was an emotional night at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., one that hit a wide range among fans: excitement, sadness, anger and appreciation.
There were no postmatch surprises. Just as Cena had promised, Saturday night was indeed "The Last Time" for the career of arguably WWE's greatest superstar ever.
Cena gives Gunther a new 'legend killer' moniker
Gunther received a chorus of boos as he made his way to the ring, and after a long wait, Cena finally appeared to a thunderous cheer. All of the beats -- the run to the ring, the slide into the ring, the salute -- carry so much weight to the fans, and Cena didn't miss one. He then slid to the outside to hug luminaries in attendance, including Kevin Owens, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Haku, Michelle McCool and Sami Zayn.
Once the bell rang, Gunther took the advantage immediately with hard-hitting strikes and rarely let his foot off the gas. Gunther dominated the majority of the first half of the match, easily getting the upper hand despite Cena's best efforts. Cena's best moment, offensively, came when he delivered an Attitude Adjustment through the announce table before playing the hits, much to the delight of the crowd. He hit a five-knuckle shuffle and engaged the crowd, saying, "I need to hear you ... this is the last one!" In a final bit of irony, the man who used to be jeered when he miraculously kicked out of opponents' finishers began hearing "Super Cena" and "Don't give up" chants as he fought through a sleeper hold. The referee did an old-school three-arm raise, and on the third raise, Cena gave his patented A-OK before Gunther hit repeated blows and went right back to the sleeper hold, finally tapping out Cena -- the first time Cena had been submitted in a match since 2005.
Gunther has now retired Goldberg and Cena and could be entering an era in which he becomes the ultimate "legend killer" if he gets to face superstars nearing retirement, such as AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar.
After the match and following a tribute video, Cena bowed to each corner of the ring as he was surrounded by fellow WWE superstars, took off his shoes and armbands and left them in the ring. As he walked up the ramp toward backstage, he delivered one final salute and said to the camera, "It's been a pleasure serving you for all these years. Thank you."
It was an emotional, simple and fitting end for someone who has meant as much as Cena has to WWE.
Cody Rhodes said it best on the postshow when he pointed out that Cena has done everything "by the book," including going out the WWE way. Cena leaped on his shield and bestowed to Gunther -- a wrestler who will help carry WWE for years to come -- the gift of becoming the man who ended the career of "the greatest of all time."
Oba Femi is ready for his WWE call-up now
The match between Femi and Rhodes was a good choice to start the show because, as the second-highest profile match on the card behind Cena vs. Gunther, separation between the two matches gave both tilts time to shine.
Any professional wrestling fan can look at NXT's Femi, at 6-foot-6 and over 300 pounds, and say, "This guy is a future WrestleMania main eventer."
From the "I scouted your moves" counters in the first few minutes of the match against Undisputed WWE champion Rhodes to the feats of strength, including a running European uppercut over the announce table that launched both wrestlers into the air and left Rhodes' ear bloodied, Femi had plenty of moments.
Drew McIntyre interfered and caused a disqualification, but that led to Femi and Rhodes hitting their finishers on McIntyre, then raising each other's hands in a show of respect.
Many wrestling fans would have loved a definitive victor here, but the biggest takeaway, regardless of outcome, is the potential star power of Femi. His talent was on full display, and he no doubt gained many new fans.
When Femi inevitably gets called up from NXT, he will have a foundation already laid. As for Rhodes, he has one more match with McIntyre -- perhaps at Royal Rumble or on the Jan. 5 episode of "Raw" -- before marching along the road to WrestleMania.
Sol Ruca picks up the biggest win of her career
The match had some hiccups, but Ruca showcased her incredibly athletic and acrobatic offense. After some technical back-and-forth wrestling, Ruca cleverly used her height to extend a leg to the ropes during a pin attempt.
Ruca hit a Sol Snatcher, which led to a surprise pin attempt by Bayley, but Ruca reversed it and picked up the biggest win of her career.
The win greatly elevates Ruca and also doesn't affect Bayley's standing in the least.
Young talent take advantage of a unique opportunity
Je'Von Evans and Leon Slater wasted no time landing stereo superkicks right at the opening bell, then followed up with picturesque dives back-to-back to the outside, catching WWE stars AJ Styles and Dragon Lee off-guard.
The high-octane match ended with Styles slipping off the top ropes on a springboard -- a rare misstep for the "Phenomenal One" that Slater promptly erased with a quick near pinfall before Styles countered with a Styles Clash for the win.
As became the theme of the night, all four combatants showed love and respect to each other and Cena after the match. Evans, who competes in NXT, and Slater, with TNA, were in a unique spot to showcase their abilities against WWE veterans, and they absolutely did.
