Well, it happened. John Cena, the man who stands for hustle, loyalty, and never giving up, submitted to Gunther in his farewell match on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Cena was trapped in Gunther’s rear naked choke and fought every which way possible to break the hold. Eventually, Cena realized he couldn’t escape, accepted his fate, and smiled before he tapped out.
And wouldn’t you know it, everyone has an opinion on the matter. The majority of fans loathe booking John Cena to quit in his final match. Others feel it’s par for the course since. How does ol’ Ringside Logic feel about? There are two schools of thought to examine.
The wrestler/promoter in me says WWE made the right call. There is a time-honored tradition in the business that a wrestler always loses on the way out. Sure, they could have surprised everyone like AEW did when Sting won his retirement match. However, Sting was the exception, not the norm.
Unlike sports and television shows, professional wrestling has no off-season. Things need to keep moving forward. John Cena will not be on Raw or SmackDown tomorrow. Gunther will be on television every week and has been utilized as one of WWE’s top heel acts. The best way to put more heat on Gunther is to have him do the one thing no one else has done: tap out John Cena.
Cena has ridden off into the sunset while Gunther proudly brags on Raw that he made him tap out like a b&$%#. Fans are mad, but it’s a sacrifice play. A short-term loss that will become a long-term gain. Time heals all wounds. People will forget about Cena giving up as Gunther retires more legends, which he’s rumored to do in 2026.
Eventually, the story will call for someone to put Gunther in his place. When that day comes, all of the heat Gunther has gained from those he’s put out to pasture will jump for joy when his shoulders are pinned to the mat. Whoever is booked to dethrone Gunther becomes a star, which would be more difficult to accomplish if Cena didn’t submit.
Looking at the fan perspective, it is easy to understand why many are upset. If I were a wrestling fan who wasn’t in the know, didn’t search the internet for the latest news and rumors, and never participated in wrestling, I’d probably be upset if I were a John Cena fan.
I fondly remember the days of my fandom when all I knew about wrestling was what I saw on my television screen. Bret Hart was my guy, and one of his defining traits was never giving up. I’m still in my feelings about the “Hitman” taping out to Ken Shamrock on the October 27, 1997, edition of Monday Night Raw.
Yes, Hart was a heel, which makes it a little easier to swallow. Yes, Shamrock was a former UFC champion, so if anyone could make the Hart say uncle, it would be the “World’s Most Dangerous Man. Yes, it was Hart’s last televised match before the Montreal Screw Job. No, the referee didn’t see the tap, which helped me sleep better at night.
If I were still a fan who didn’t know the inside baseball of it all and John Cena was my ride-or-die, watching him tap out would come across as a betrayal of the character. Heck, there are a lot of people who are smartened up to the business who believe it was the wrong call.
Jeff Jarrett called it the “dumbest finish in wrestling history and a direct slap in the face to the industry.”
WWE booked itself into a corner from the moment Gunther promised he’d make Cena tap out. A finish involving Gunther pinning Cena or making him pass out to the choke would come off as safe or uninspired. A submission machine, such as Gunther, being unable to make Cena tap is a bittersweet victory.
That’s not enough of a win for “The Ring General” and too much of a win for Cena’s last stand.
Cena tapping out is the kind of finish that helps Gunther in the long term and hurts WWE in the short term. Triple H was booed unmercifully for the finish during the Saturday Night’s Main Event post-game show. The company has heat with the fans right now, not Gunther, and you can only do that so many times until consumer confidence erodes.
Perhaps Triple H underestimated how much John Cena is loved, or the writers do not realize how archaic it is in 2025 to insist that a wrestler lose their final match. Sting retired as one half of the AEW Tag Team Champions. The losers weren’t buried, and fans were treated to an unforgettable moment with a legend.
Looking at Gunther’s role in the current landscape, John Cena tapping out was the right call because of the one aspect of the finish WWE shouldn’t use…
The smile of acceptance on Cena’s face before the tap.
The narrative should always be that Gunther did the impossible, while we all know what really happened.
Cena knew he couldn’t escape the choke. Instead of fighting for a tomorrow that isn’t coming, he realized that tomorrow had already arrived
RingsideLogic.com 