John Cena, the most successful champion in WWE history, has officially stepped away from professional wrestling after closing his career at Saturday Night’s Main Event before a crowd of over 19,000 fans at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
The 17-time world champion concluded his year-long farewell tour with a defeat to Gunther, submitting for only the fourth time in his career and for the first time in 21 years. After enduring a series of sleeper holds from the “Ring General” and repeatedly fighting his way out, Cena eventually glanced at the camera, offered a faint smile and tapped out.
The moment marked his first submission loss since 2004, when he was defeated by Kurt Angle.
During the contest, Cena delivered several of his signature moves, including the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment, but was unable to overcome Gunther’s relentless dominance. Once the match ended, Gunther exited the ring as wrestlers from across the WWE locker room emerged to pay tribute.
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes joined Cena in the ring, presenting him with their championship belts and allowing him to hold them one final time.
The atmosphere shifted when WWE’s chief content officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, appeared, drawing loud chants of “bullst” and “You f*ed up” from fans unhappy with the outcome of Cena’s farewell match.
A tribute video then played, highlighting key moments from Cena’s career and featuring appearances from numerous wrestlers, including archived footage of former WWE chairman Vince McMahon. Cena later removed his shoes and sweatbands, placing them in the centre of the ring before acknowledging the crowd and taking his final bows.
As he walked towards the entrance, Cena shared handshakes and high-fives with fans, paused for one last bow and spoke directly to the camera.
“It’s been a pleasure serving you all these years, thank you,” he said, before leaving the arena as the broadcast came to an end.
The victory marked the second retirement match Gunther has closed out in 2025, following his earlier win over Bill Goldberg in Goldberg’s final appearance.
Cena’s final outing capped a dramatic year that included his first-ever heel turn at Elimination Chamber in March. He later defeated Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship, setting a new record for the most world titles in company history, before Rhodes reclaimed the belt at SummerSlam.
Cena’s last championship reign followed his victory over Dominik Mysterio in his hometown of Boston.
