After almost a full year of anticipation John Cena finally stepped into the ring for one final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend. Ahead of the show there was a lot of discussion online regarding the match order for Saturday Night’s Main Event, but ultimately John Cena vs. Gunther headlined.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that at one point there was a match order in place that listed Cody Rhodes vs. Oba Femi as the last match on the show.
WWE obviously made the right call with John Cena vs. Gunther closing the show as it allowed Cena to share a special moment with the fans as Saturday Night’s Main Event went off the air.
The wrestling world is still processing John Cena’s retirement and the decision to have Cena tap out to Gunther in his final match will likely be talked about for years to come.
Cena recently explained why he smiled while tapping out during an appearance on What Do You Want To Talk About? when he said, “I envision something beautiful. Saturday far exceeded whatever was in my heart and soul. I know I’m out there one last time. I’m out there, and they hate the guy I’m working with. They universally cheer me. That is f*****g rare. For the last five minutes, everything I preach about story, 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 in the back. We’re just in a sleeper hold, but we’re having that conversation with the audience.”
“As I essentially take my last breath and have struggled. You think of somebody, the natural causes scenario or however we picture loss in our life, all of us have been through it. They struggle and struggle, but they hang on just long enough to make sure to say goodbye to everyone that is meaningful in their lives. That whole day was so many meaningful and vulnerable conversations. Then, you realize, I’ve connected with everybody I love. Physically, I feel great. I think it’s time to take that last breath. I hate to keep going back to obituaries, but that was, ‘This person died peacefully.’”