For one last time, John Cena wrestled in a WWE match. And the result left fans stunned.
In his final bout at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Gunther put Cena in a Sleeper Hold that the all-time legend couldn’t break. So Cena… tapped out. He left his shoes in the ring and took some bows as he left.
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That led to some very NSFW chants yelled at Triple H, the chief content officer at the WWE. Fans were likely displeased that writers would give Cena a loss in his very final match. But… should they be mad?
There were some on social media (see below) who got the symbolism, and maybe this is what Cena wanted for his last match. Tapping out was showing it’s truly time for him to retire.
Would Cena have smiled in the middle of the tap-out if he had been displeased with the result? Doubtful.
Fans had to direct their anger somewhere, but maybe they were just sad they didn’t get to cheer one last Cena victory. My take: This is much more poignant
John Cena smiling before tapping out , After all these years he knew his time is up.
He told us that at some point in our life , we have to give up.
This is what it’s all about , It’s all about life. pic.twitter.com/PBsSN8Og4v
— Popplayzz (@Popplayzz1) December 14, 2025
I know nobody wanted to see Cena tap out. But this entire run was about him knowing it was time. Not denying it, not fighting it, but accepting it.
Him tapping out instead of trying to hold on and being delusional that he could keep going, makes perfect sense.
Thank you John 🫡
— Brandon Carney (@BenchwarmerBran) December 14, 2025
Truly can’t fathom the notion of anybody being mad about Cena losing. Even if you’re a diehard fan of him. Pretty obvious it’s what he wanted, and it was the right thing to do. All he did was win over the years, and most people complained about that too #SNME
— Mike Chiari (@MikeChiari) December 14, 2025
After everything John Cena has done for the WWE, this is how they decide to end his career…
Triple H, u deserve nothing. pic.twitter.com/s83HQQ0oCw
— Agent 0 (@FT_Merchant05) December 14, 2025
This article originally appeared on For The Win: John Cena final match has WWE fans furious at Triple H. But why?
