John Cena Explains Tap Out Finish And Its Star Wars Connection

John Cena appeared on Cody Rhodes' What Do You Wanna Talk About and gave his thoughts on the finish to his retirement match.
John Cena
John Cena | WWE

WWE Saturday Night's Main Event saw Gunther do exactly what he said he would do: submit John Cena to end the 17-time World Champion's career.

While he won't be an in-ring competitor any longer, Cena plans to stay involved with the WWE, and the first example of that has come with him sitting down with the current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes for an episode of 'What Do You Wanna Talk About'.

John Cena Compares His End To Star Wars

John Cena
John Cena | WWE

Cena goes into detail about the final moments of his retirement match with Gunther, particularly the smile on his face as he tapped out, and how he and Gunther were telling a story during a simple submission hold.

"Everything I preach about story and drama and having a conversation with the audience. The ones I love are in the front row, I know my colleagues are watching on the monitor back there. We're just in a sleeper hold, but we're having that conversation with the audience. So, as I essentially take my last breath, I have struggled."
John Cena

He further connects the end of his story to a person passing away peacefully, as he got to connect with everyone he loved before wrapping up his career.

"That whole day with so many unbelievably vulnerable, meaningful conversations, and then you realize I've connected with everybody I love, physically I feel great, I think it's time to take that last breath...this person died peacefully."
John Cena

Cody Rhodes says he hoped he was right and that Cena had faced death with a smile, to which Cena states, "Obi-Wan Kenobi," comparing his end to the iconic scene between Kenobi and Darth Vader in the original Star Wars.

John Cena's favorite moment from his career

Cody Rhodes asked Cena about his favorite match from his career, a question Cena has been asked before and always answers, "the next one." Now that there isn't a next one, Cena reveals it was more of a moment rather than a match.

"Maybe its cause its fresh in my mind, I can't get past, Phil Brooks, CM Punk, Saudi Arabia. I think that might be my favorite moment in wrestling."
John Cena

Cena goes on to reveal it wasn't the match or any moment between the two of them, but the kickoff show that saw Punk come out and speak to the Saudi Arabia crowd and apologize for comments he made about the WWE's dealings with the country.

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Ethan Schlabaugh
ETHAN SCHLABAUGH

Ethan Schlabaugh is a news writer for The Takedown on SI. His journalism experience has seen him cover professional wrestling for outlets such as TheSportster, The Takedown and more. He has been a lifelong fan of professional wrestling, dating back to his first experience with the WCW Nintendo 64 games, and that passion for the sport has remained many years later. He also writes feature articles for ResuraMag, where he focuses on mainstream Japanese promotions like Stardom and Marigold.