WWE Saturday Night's Main Event: John Cena's Final Match

[Supremo]

Watching in real time the Cyberdyne Systems evolution from Vince to Cena to Cody, it makes you wonder just how odd Ricky Saints will be when he reaches his final form. One can only imagine what colour slacks he’ll match with a suit jacket.

[Handsome Tex Hardcastle]

John Cenas clothes dont fit him. Even when hes wearing business-standard attire something just seems off. The stripes are too stripey, the tie is bulky and distracting, the collars are absolutely massive. He looks like a badly proportioned magician thats wearing his dads suit, and he's usually got the air of someone who knows they arent pulling it off. 

[Supremo]

Like the final scene in, “Big,” where Tom Hanks shrinks back into a being a kid, whilst still wearing adult clothes. 

[TheScarlettChad]

That face in the last photo, He knows how much of a berk he looks.

[AshC]

Going back to the match... the premise of the finish was seemingly Cena knowing he was done, his body couldn't do anymore, etc... 

But in the context of the wrestling show, the guy had won a Match of the Year candidate with AJ Styles fairly recently and had just been Intercontinental champion, only losing that through shenanigans. He didn't come across like he was on his last legs. Not in this match either. 

[LaGoosh]

6 hours ago, AshC said:

Going back to the match... the premise of the finish was seemingly Cena knowing he was done, his body couldn't do anymore, etc... 

But in the context of the wrestling show, the guy had won a Match of the Year candidate with AJ Styles fairly recently and had just been Intercontinental champion, only losing that through shenanigans. He didn't come across like he was on his last legs. Not in this match either. 

Yeah but that's not the modern day WWE booking philosophy. They book "moments". Everything outside the moment is of no consequence or concern at any given time. 

[RedTwoster]

1 hour ago, LaGoosh said:

Yeah but that's not the modern day WWE booking philosophy. They book "moments". Everything outside the moment is of no consequence or concern at any given time. 

I don’t think that’s true - they book plenty of long-term stories; look at Drew/Punk, The Bloodline and everything related to that, Cody/Roman, Cody/Cena, El Grande Americano, Liv/Dom and Seth/Punk/Roman - now, I’m not saying all of these are good stories, but - for better or worse - they’re long term, and I don’t think it’s accurate to say they’re booked around ‘moments’. Heck, some of them would be better if they were.

If anything, I’d say WWE has a tendency to draw out its booking much more in the Triple H era - Drew/Punk started very strong, but by the end of it most of us were begging for it to end. Seth/Punk…started out, and it continued on as it began. Triple H takes a different approach to Vince McMahon with his booking, and that comes with its own problems and benefits. 

[LaGoosh]

23 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

Triple H takes a different approach to Vince McMahon with his booking, and that comes with its own problems and benefits. 

I don't think I've ever been able to determine what Vince McMahon's approach to booking was. Perhaps there's the broad stroke "push top babyface relentlessly as a super hero" and "dominant monster run before being toppled by the big babyface" but the booking under him varies so wildly between the 80s, 90s, 2000s and 2010s it's pretty hard to get a handle on it. Of course it's also impossible to know what stuff is his and what stuff came from whoever the head writer/booker was at the time. It would be fascinating to hear him talk on the subject (if he wasn't an evil rapist obviously).

[Supremo]

If there was ever any doubt that they made the wrong decision in the moment. Breaking news from Whopper Central confirms it.

Triple H and Seth Rollins watching the Sting retirement together, both shaking their heads.

”They don’t know what they’re doing. Our work with Sting was far superior.”

[Handsome Tex Hardcastle]

On 12/22/2025 at 10:55 PM, AshC said:

Going back to the match... the premise of the finish was seemingly Cena knowing he was done, his body couldn't do anymore, etc... 

But in the context of the wrestling show, the guy had won a Match of the Year candidate with AJ Styles fairly recently and had just been Intercontinental champion, only losing that through shenanigans. He didn't come across like he was on his last legs. Not in this match either. 

At the time I got the sense that they were trying to convey the opposite, that he wasnt done and he still had more to give. 

He said as much in interviews leading up to it. He didnt believe he was completely finished, but he was on the downward slope and didn't want to overstay his welcome. 

The smile at the end could have been a way of saying he still had some fight left in him, but he was going out on his own terms and in a way he could control. By choosing to tap out he made the decision to call time on the match and his career, and he was fine with it. Theres also every chance he got carried away and indulged himself. Either way its interesting that a facial gesture was discussed and analysed to the extent it was considering that subtlety is often absent in Wrestling. A lot of meaningful art/entertainment is as much about intent as it is about content, so I dont necessarily think ambiguity is a bad thing and the "why" of it being front and centre isnt a terrible note to end on. 

WWE are capable of long term storytelling, but whilst they may end up at a particular destination the journey to get there can be a very messy. There are outcomes after weeks, months and in some cases years, but too often along the way it feels less like an unfolding narrative and more like a series of moments that dont always connect. 

[DavidB6937]

Plus looking at it logically - and this would obviously be giving far too much credit to WWE having put any thought into it - just because he performed well against AJ and whatever else doesn't mean that Gunther didn't have his number. Cena in that moment could easily think he's not going to win. He's giving it his all and he feels like it's not enough. Gunther will keep coming and coming and coming and there's no escape from an inevitable loss and therefore he gives in to that.

It's not a difficult story to tell and it can completely make sense in context. I don't even think there's anything wrong with keeping it ambiguous and allowing people to take their own viewpoint of it.

I think the main issue is that his final run in general was rubbish and they almost had this chance to put a nice bow on it and leave people with a happier memory of it and they didn't take it.

[mim731]

9 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

I think the main issue is that his final run in general was rubbish and they almost had this chance to put a nice bow on it and leave people with a happier memory of it and they didn't take it.

This is the larger issue for me, there was an opportunity to do something that's would have been a lovely moment, and they opted not. If they use this to make Gunther a massive star then I get it, but I suspect they won't, and it will have been a waste. 

When Flair retired, I seem to recall there was some criticism that Michaels got that spot and not a younger talent, but it was the right call. Probably should have just had Cody or Punk have his final match.

Long term I fear they'll squander the benefits of the win for Gunther and have wasted what could have been a tremendous moment of giving the audience what they clearly wanted. But you could say that about the whole year.

 

[Supremo]

It was a messy end to a messy run.

They had the opportunity to do one or two solid, coherent stories with John’s final run. The old timer trying to prove he still had it. The greatest of all time, solidifying his Hall of Fame career. The sellout, willing to cash in his principles for one final taste of glory. The bitter retiree, trying to ruin everything out of spite on his way out. A redemption arc, where he sees the light and tries to make amends. The old gunslinger, going out on his shield, accepting he can no longer compete with the new generation of athletes.

The problem was they tried to tell all those stories, with zero connective tissue, and nowhere near enough time. Sprinkled with wanky, meta writing. It was neither one thing nor the other. A bunch of unexplored, badly performed threads. A Pick and Mix of shite.

I’m not against Gunther winning. He’s been such a hoot these last two weeks that it’s already proven to be the right call. But that doesn’t automatically mean it worked in the moment.

I thought it at the time and I’m even more convinced now. If they were so desperate for a hammy, melodramatic moment for the finish then John should’ve bladed. One of those mad, ridiculous Umaga/JBL bloodbaths. Gunther has him in the choke, he’s squeezing blood out of John’s head like the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube, everyone’s chanting, “don’t give up,” and John apologises as he taps. Same result. Same hammy, presumably bad acting from John, but nowhere near the sense of disappointment. In fact, since they love that Shawn/Ric Flair thing so much, he could have even said, “I’m sorry, I love you,” to the fans as he gives up. Imagine! There wouldn’t have been a dry eye in Gorilla! Gargano and Ciampa would’ve been holding hands.

Either way though, it’s nice to see the Cena tributes still flooding in. Seth Rollins seemingly doing a tribute to that final run of interviews, where John tried to say the dumbest things possible. Absolute fucking whopper.

Edited December 24, 2025 by Supremo

[Cannibal Man]

sorry I know it's Christmas and everything and I need to apologise for being rude here but what an arsehole Seth Rollins is!

Edited December 24, 2025 by Cannibal Man

[tiger_rick]

On 12/19/2025 at 9:23 AM, BomberPat said:

Tony Schiavone said, "I've no idea, you couldn't force me to watch it at gunpoint, I hope everyone had a nice time".

Never been a pro-wrestling comeback greater than Tony Skiavone. Remember when people didn't love this man?