The last time was tonight as John Cena faced off with the winner of the ‘Last Time Is Now’ tournament—Gunther—live from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. After months of build and weeks of bookings, the Saturday Night’s Main Event finale took center stage as fans and celebrities alike showed up to honor Cena’s final match.
Stephanie McMahon joined Joe Tessitore on the host’s podium as the lack of a pre-show, combined with a 4-match card, allowed for a longer intro portion at the start of the show. The man who exclaimed, “You Can’t See Me,” received tribute edits set to emotional music played throughout the telecast streaming on Peacock.
Mark Henry, Trish Stratus, and Kurt Angle were all in attendance while prerecorded messages from Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Snoop Dog, and Jimmy Fallon (among many others) were played, honoring the Massachusetts native, Cena.
JOHN CENA VS GUNTHER—The Last Time Is Now
The 19,323 in attendance stood still as the anticipation for Cena’s musical intro grew with every second that passed, and then, when the lights cut out, the crowd erupted as Cena made his way to the ring for the final time as a performer. Gunther received his intro first, but then immediately left the ring before John’s entrance as a sign of respect.
Cena grabbed the camera to film his longtime cameraman, who had his own prerecorded message played earlier in the match.
Gunther was on offense to start the match, taking an early momentum grab as the crowd yelled curse-filled chants letting them know what they want and expect in this match—Cena to get over clean.
Cena hit the 5-knuckle shuffle at the end of his first offensive sequence, but Gunther took the momentum back shortly after—hitting the first powerbomb of the match. Gunther was able to utilize his chokehold maneuver throughout the match as he vowed to ‘make Cena give up.’
The first 10 minutes were used to build the final 2/3 of the match, and that is when John turned it on and ‘played his greatest hits.’ He hit the famouser from the middle turnbuckle as well as several AA’s and a 5-knuckle shuffle.
There was a back-and-forth in the match’s finale that told a story of Cena attempting everything he had left while Gunther found a way to re-lock on the chokehold. Then, after Cena was able to keep his hand up as the ref dropped it twice before, but in the end, the heel would make Cena tap.
The finish came out of nowhere, and Cena’s own expression led to the utter shock that fans in the arena and watching at home felt as an amazing story was being told that ultimately ended with an unsatisfying finish.
It was several moments after the submission loss that the crowd was just stuck, similarly to when The Undertaker’s streak was broken. The truck cut to different shots of fans reacting with utter confusion and facial expressions.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon led the entire locker room out to ringside as CM Punk and Cody Rhodes handed their world/heavyweight titles to Cena in his final moments in the ring. A tribute video played as Cena watched from the ring, but he never grabbed the mic and simply left his sneakers in the ring alongside his patented wristbands.
The crowd booed Trips and company as the D.C. fans were quick to express their disappointment.
There was no post-segment or swerve booked, just an unsatisfactory finish to the career of the greatest wrestler of all time.
THE MIZ VS JOE HENDRY—Unsanctioned Match
The tension was raised following the co-main event tag match, as the realization of Cena’s final match being only moments away, fans received an extra (unsanctioned) match featuring former TNA champion Joe Hendry.
The Miz was already out in the middle of the ring by the time the production truck cut back to the squared circle. He demanded respect and a match with Cena despite being eliminated from the “Last Time Is Now” tournament.
R-Truth, aka Ron Cena, came out cosplaying as the night’s honoree and had an opponent in mind for Miz. He hinted at who it might be, and just as the crowd figured it out, the man named Joe Hendry appeared. It was ‘believed’ that Hendry could possibly be on the short list to face Cena at some point in his final year, though the match never materialized as Hendry spent the majority of the year wrestling in TNA and NXT.
Hendry defeated The Miz with Truth as the referee, counting 1-2-3.
CODY RHODES VS OBA FEMI—Champ V Champ (Non-Title Match)
Cody Rhodes was the first superstar out the gate as his champ V champ match against NXT titlist Oba Femi was first out the gate, so that the company’s current to face bookends the company’s most famous. This was a major opportunity for Femi, who earned the opportunity last Saturday by defeating former NXT champ Ricky Starks—coincidentally one of Rhodes’s standout graduates of the Nightmare Factory.
The match was building real steam as the D.C. crowd became more invested with every Oba Femi move. Unfortunately, the match ended in a DQ when Drew McIntyre interfered and cost us a genuine ending. In the post-match antics, Femi and Cody teamed up to take out McIntyre, leading to a standoff between the two champs with belts in hand.
Femi and McIntyre teased a program that we may see soon (after Femi loses the title and is called up to the main roster), but, for now, the immediate plans are trending towards Rhodes and Drew continuing their rivalry.
AJ STYLES & DRAGON LEE VS JE’VON EVANS & LEON SLATER—Tag Team Match
This was the action match of the night as two of the most valuable talents outside of WWE’s main roster, Evans and Slater, took on the tag champs, who have been taking on all comers. Evans and Slater feuded with one another before forming this tag match.
It was a terrific match to lead into the Cena main event and a great style contrast to hype the crowd. In the end, the tag champs were successful in a clean victory, but we know that both Evans and Slater are destined for bigger things in the future.
BAYLEY VS SOL RUCA
When this event was announced and the ‘Last Time Is Now’ tourney kicked off, Cena announced that the SNME card would feature the ‘future’ of the company. So, it made sense that WWE showcased both the men’s and women’s NXT roster, especially considering that they may be called up in 2026.
Sol Ruca pulled off the victory over Bayley by landing her front flip ‘cutter’ off the corner turnbuckle. The fans in attendance, unfamiliar with Ruca, were impressed by her performance, and the finish was exactly what this event was intended to achieve.
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