Wrestling On FanNation

John Cena Loses His Final Match To Gunther At WWE Saturday Night's Main Event

John Cena rides off in the sunset with a loss at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event.
Zack Heydorn|
John Cena
John Cena | WWE

The in-ring WWE career of John Cena has come to an end.

Cena lost to Gunther in the main event of Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13 from inside Capital One Arena in Washington DC. After escaping Gunther's sleeper hold multiple times, Cena succumbed to the move and tapped out, ending his in-ring career. Gunther said his goal for the match was to make Cena give up.

The match was back and forth for nearly 90% of the action. Cena hit three Attitude Adjustments on Gunther, including one from the top rope, but couldn't get the pin after either one. Cena also gave Gunther the move through the announce table.

WWE went all out to present this particular episode of Saturday Night's Main Event as a major event. Not only did the company show various celebrities in the audience, but it made a point to showcase legends in the audience as well. Kurt Angle, RVD, Trish Stratus, Eve Torres, and a host of others were shown on camera throughout the show.

The show also featured numerous video tributes to John Cena. These videos included submissions from wrestling legends like The Undertaker, The Rock, and others. It also included submissions from other sports figures like Jalen Brunson and Tom Brady.

Gunther made his entrance to the ring first for the match and was followed by Cena. A notable "let's go Cena" chant started before Cena's music hit, but it was not followed by "Cena sucks," as it has for nearly two decades.

John Cena said goodbye to WWE fans and WWE said goodbye to John Cena

John Cena vs. Gunther
John Cena vs. Gunther | WWE

The Washington D.C. audience gave Cena a raucous response when he walked through the curtain. Cena took the cameraman from the production member and filmed him before he did his patented sprint down the ramp.

Before introductions, Cena slapped the hands of the various WWE legends who were sitting ringside for the match. This included Stratus, Sami Zayn, RVD, Kevin Owens, and others.

After the match, Cena sat in the ring and said, "That's all I got." At first, the audience chanted "this is bulls**t," but then applauded Cena as he stood in the ring. Cena thanked the audience and as he did, some of the WWE locker room emptied and surrounded the ring.

CM Punk and Cody Rhodes got in the ring with Cena and thanked him. They then put their title belts on his shoulder as the audience chanted "thank you, Cena."

Cena raised the belts to the audience and then hugged Triple H. Triple H then pointed to the video screen and another Cena tribute video aired.

Cena departed up the ramp and saluted the crowd one final time.

The Latest On WWE, AEW, & More

WWE Reportedly Planning Retirement Tours For Three Legendary Stars

First Official Look At Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns In Street Fighter Movie Revealed

Nikki Bella Highlights Key Difference Between Triple H And Vince McMahon

Another WWE Premium Live Event In 2026 Reportedly Confirmed

Published
Zack Heydorn
ZACK HEYDORN

Zack Heydorn has been covering the pro wrestling industry for a decade and writes news, features, and interviews for The Takedown On SI. He also hosts and cohosts a variety of WWE and AEW shows on YouTube. Heydorn is a former Assistant Editor of PWTorch and Managing Editor of SEScoops. Zack is also the author of the Hybrid Shoot book Stunning: The Wrestling Artistry of Steve Austin, which is available on Amazon. You can follow Zack on X and Bluesky.

Share on XFollow Zack_Heydorn
Home/WWE