- John Cena retired from WWE after a controversial loss to GUNTHER, sparking strong fan reactions at Saturday Night’s Main Event
- Triple H responded to the backlash, defending the decision and emphasising its importance for the future of wrestling
- Opinions were split among fans, with some supporting GUNTHER’s win as the right move for WWE, and something John Cena supported
John Cena’s retirement will go down as one of the most divisive and emotional moments in WWE history, but Triple H won’t back down.
The 17-time world champion has officially ended his in-ring career, with fans showering him with praise in between foul-mouthed chants aimed at creative chief Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque.
Viewers were forced to see the retiring legend tap out for the first time in over two decades as GUNTHER stood tall after the decorated star’s last ever match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Chants of ‘bulls**t’ and ‘you f***ed up’ rained down, continuing even as Cena stood in the ring and Triple H led the roster down for a heartfelt tribute.
Appearing on the official post show, he joked that the middle fingers were a reference to the raised index fingers of The Bloodline, and encouraged the negative reaction.
‘I’m actually mildly disappointed, I thought it would be so much louder,’ he teased with a smirk on his face.
‘There are time honoured traditions in our business, there are ways that you handle your business. John has said the right thing in his entire career, that it is about leaving this business better than you found it,’ he explained.
Triple H added: ‘I’m gonna do that my entire career. I will do what I think is right for this business. It just is what it is. I realise that’s difficult for people to understand.’
He shrugged off the abuse from fans as he sat on the panel, insisting he has ‘big shoulders’ and can handle the backlash.
Even on the actual Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcast, the boss seemed to take it in good spirits as he laughed off the boos while he and the former champ shared a hug in the corner of the ring.
There was a respite in the jeers as fans chanted ‘thank you Cena’ as he left his sneakers and wristbands in the centre of the ring and waved goodbye to the fans.
It’s clear the live crowd in Washington, D.C. were desperate to see Cena go out as a winner, and plenty of fans online echoed the sentiment.
Some described it as an ‘absolutely devastating ending to a great career’, while others went further and insisted the loss was ‘the worst thing WWE has ever done’.
Not everyone agreed, with fans referring to GUNTHER as WWE’s ‘final boss’ who is primed to be the biggest star in wrestling after that win.
‘I don’t have a problem with the outcome because while, my Cena loving heart, would have love for him to win, Gunther winning is best going forward.’
”I didn’t expect Cena to win his last match. Tradition is the person on the way out puts over the person on the way up,’ fan @wesleyshawn05 wrote on X.
‘Him tapping out was a bit jarring, but giving Gunther that win in that spot was the best thing for the business. And Cena wanted that. #Respect #ThankYouCena’
And @KingSevenSeas added: ‘I don’t have a problem with the outcome because while, my Cena loving heart, would have love for him to win, Gunther winning is best going forward.’
The Miz made a rare out of character appearance on the post show and defended the decision, insisting Cena’s loss was a befitting end to a career which saw him slay monsters for years.
He referred to GUNTHER, 38, as ‘the future’ of wrestling and someone who is ‘in his prime’, and can absolutely benefit from a win of his magnitude.
GUNTHER beating John Cena was the right move for WWE retirement
Metro’s WWE expert Alistair McGeorge defends the end to John Cena’s career.
As I type this, the wrestling world is still reeling from one of the most significant moments in WWE history.
It’s official – John Cena has retired, and he went out with a loss to GUNTHER in a moment that was met with a much fiercer backlash than I expected.
Heading into the match, knowing how much the Peacemaker actor respects tradition, it seemed a given that the Ring General would get the win – and that’s exactly what happened.
Triple H has shrugged off the immediate response and pointed out the benefits for the business, and he’s absolutely spot on, after the way Sol Ruca, Je’Von Evans, GUNTHER, Joe Hendry, Oba Femi and even TNA Wrestling’s Leon Slater got highlighted on a special night.
A fairy tale ending wouldn’t have done anyone any favours, with Cena making it clear he will never wrestle again, and WWE needing to make its current roster look as strong as possible.
There’s a danger, though, that this could bubble over and overshadow what was meant to be a night about the retiring legend and the stars of the future.
WWE will be hoping it’s a one-time thing, and that fans will rally behind the current stars – and the direction of the show.
Time will tell.
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