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Andreas Hell
Pro wrestling superstar John Cena ended his 24-year WWE tenure at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. by doing something he hadn’t done in more than 20 years: He tapped out.
Cena defeated former two-time WWE Heavyweight Champion Gunther at “Saturday Night’s Main Event” in a spectacular finals match that had the crowd anticipating Cena to emerge victorious.
Instead, Cena’s tap-out signaled to fans that his time was finally up, and he was going out on his own terms.
Cena signed with WWE in 2001 under the name The Prototype and debuted on “SmackDown” under his real name on June 27, 2002, in a losing effort to Kurt Angle. Cena struggled as a singles wrestler until he adopted the “Doctor of Thaganomics” heel character, which saw him freestyle rap in promos.
Ultimately, Cena became one of the most beloved wrestlers on the roster and a 17-time world champion, the most world titles recognized by WWE.
He was in the main event of WrestleMania six times, and is recognized as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
After sporadic appearances as a part-time performer from 2017 to 2024, Cena announced at WWE’s Money in the Bank premium live event on July 6, 2024, that he would retire from in-ring action at the end of 2025.
Cena’s retirement tour formally began in January at the Royal Rumble, when he was eliminated by Jey Uso. Cena shocked the wrestling world for the first time since 2003 by turning heel at Elimination Chamber on March 1. He ultimately won his 17th World Championship by defeating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania in April. The heel turn was short-lived, as Cena lost the Bad Guy Mimic and the title to Rhodes at SummerSlam in August.
After wrestling Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles and Sami Zayn, a tournament was announced to decide who would be Cena’s final opponent at “Saturday Night’s Main Event”. Cena won and lost the Intercontinental Championship to Dominic Mysterio while waiting for the tournament to end, making him a Grand Slam Champion.
Gunther won the tournament and defeated Cena with a sleeper hold in a match lasting less than 25 minutes. During the closing stages, Gunther continuously placed Cena in a sleeper hold as the fans expressed support for their hero. However, Cena ultimately tapped out as fans stared in disbelief, with some shedding tears.
Those present in the WWE locker room came out to celebrate Cena, as WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes presented their belts to Cena to salute the retired wrestler. Paul “Triple H” Levesque presented Cena with a video package.
Instead of giving a speech, Cena left his wristbands and shoes in the ring, walked down the entrance ramp, turned and gave one last salute to the cameras and fans.
