Internal WWE Reaction And Reasoning For John Cena's Controversial Finish At SNME

John Cena did something at Saturday Night's Main Event that he hadn't done in over 20 years: he gave up.

The Last Real Champion tapped out to Gunther's sleeper hold and lost his retirement match, doing so with a smile on his face. Almost as if he were Steve Rogers at the end of Avengers: Endgame, at peace with finally giving up the fight.

Many of the more than 18,000 at the Capital One Arena, however, did not have a smile on their face. Some were shocked, others left in disbelief, and the rest were downright furious.

When Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque left Gorilla position to join the rest of the locker room that had converged in the ring to honor The 'Greatest of All-Time', he was met by a thunderous chorus of boos.

It's over.

Gunther taps out John Cena. pic.twitter.com/0O2lTpl3p1
— WWE (@WWE) December 14, 2025

At a time when the audience desperately wanted one final moment of triumph from their ultimate hero, the company decided the time was right to do what was best for the future.

“John has said the right thing his entire career, that it’s about leaving this place better than you found it," Levesque said during the Saturday Night's Main Event Post Show. "There is no way for people to understand that in the moment. You do what is right for the business. You do what is right for the industry. John has done that his entire career."

While Levesque also said he understands the criticism and the difficulty that certain people will have accepting the decision, he remains in a good place about it.

Why was John Cena booked to lose his last match?

The Wrestling Observer was able to confirm what many had already deduced, Cena losing his retirement match was something that both he and the company wanted. It was seen as a way of 'making someone' on his way out the door.

Granted, The Ring General is already a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, but he did suffer two significant losses on the biggest stages possible this year. One to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41, the other to CM Punk at SummerSlam. There's no denying that Gunther needed the victory at Saturday Night's Main Event more than Cena did.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select spoke to a number of people within WWE about the finish, and there were plenty of people on both sides of the fence about it.

One final goodbye.

Thank YOU, @JohnCena. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/hg8gNpbILG
— WWE (@WWE) December 14, 2025

"Most on the creative/booking side [were] in favor of it," Ross Sapp said. "We've heard from plenty of talent who wished Cena would have been booked to win, but understood the reality of Gunther winning and the booking moving forward. We didn't experience any talent livid about the finish."

The reaction from Paul Levesque backstage when Cena tapped was said to be very similar to when he was later booed in the ring. He was sitting in Gorilla with a smile on his face.

Ross Sapp says there was a ton of heat on Gunther, from the fans, after his victory and he legitimately had to be escorted out of the venue. The Ring General's appearance on Raw later tonight could be an all-timer.

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