A rookie John Cena wrestled in Washington D.C.’s MCI Center for the first time on a September 2002 house show, three months following his WWE debut. Cena teamed with an equally tenured Randy Orton and Mark Henry, defeating Billy (Gunn), Chuck (Palumbo), & Rico that evening.
Twenty-three years later, the now Capital One Arena will host a landmark edition of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, where John Cena will wrestle his final match.
Opened in 1997, the 20,000-seat arena has hosted some of the most legendary nights in professional wrestling, including some of John Cena’s career highlights.
Cena’s swan song against “The Ring General” Gunther will add another chapter to the arena’s historic resume. Let’s look at twelve of wrestling’s most significant moments to occur inside the Capital One Arena.
Starrcade 1997 – “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan vs. Sting: It was the most anticipated match in WCW history. Hogan, representing the nWo, and Sting, carrying the flag for WCW. It didn’t get any bigger than this. Sadly, the infamously botched finish ruined what should have been the promotion’s crowning achievement.
Starrcade 1998 – Bill Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash: Nash wins the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, ending Goldberg’s legendary undefeated streak of 173-0. The decision to beat Goldberg, let alone with an assist from a stun gun used by Scott Hall, is debated to this day.
Starrcade 1999 – Bill Goldberg vs. Bret Hart: Sadly, the event’s sole notable moment is the severe concussion Bret Hart suffered from a Goldberg super kick that ended his legendary career.
Backlash 2000 – Triple H vs. The Rock: The McMahon-Helmsley era stacked the deck against The Rock with Shane McMahon as the guest referee. Stone Cold Steve Austin returned from injury and interfered in the main event, allowing The Rock to capture the WWE Championship.
Summerslam 2005: Rey Mysterio defeated Eddie Guerrero in a Ladder Match to gain custody of his son Dominick, and backstage politics spilled into the ring in the form of Shawn Michaels exaggerated overselling of Hulk Hogan’s offense.
Capitol Punishment 2011: R-Truth wrestled in his sole pay-per-view main event when he challenged his “older brother,” John Cena, for the WWE Championship.
Monday Night Raw 7/27/09: WWE produced a colossal SportsCenter moment due to the confrontation between NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and The Big Show.
Survivor Series 2009: John Cena successfully retained the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat Match against D-Generation X. Cena drilled Triple H with an Attitude Adjustment, using Shawn Michaels to pin The Game.
Monday Night Raw 6/29/15: John Cena had one of the best matches against Cesaro in a U.S. Title Open Challenge match. The rematch the following week also ranks among some of the best work of Cena’s career.
Battleground 2016: The sole match where all three members of The Shield squared off against each other. Roman Reigns’ wellness policy violation loomed over the bout. Dean Ambrose pinned Reigns with Dirty Deeds to retain the WWE Championship.
SmackDown – 10/16/18: WWE celebrated 1000 episodes of SmackDown, which featured the Evolution Reunion. Batista dropped a line on Triple H stating, “There is nothing this man hasn’t done in this business…except beat me,” planting the seeds for their clash at WrestleMania 35.
AEW Dymaite #1: The inaugural episode of AEW’s live weekly television show, Dynamite, occurred on October 2, 2019, changing the landscape of professional wrestling.
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