Gunther vs. John Cena

[8.0] "Very good match, but I thought it could have been better, Gunther and Cena worked a really good match with memorable moments but I feel the sleepers at the end got a little repetitive and Cena tapping sucked this easily could have been a 9 or 10 but bad Triple H booking at the end nerfed it."

[9.0] "Only on a technical point of view, this was not the best match in neither of this guys' career. However, the story told and its incredibile psychology make this match the perfect John Cena's retirement bout. At the beginning, the structure reminded a lot of matches where Cena had to face a monster heel, with Cena initially being dominated but then hitting his main moves. The ending, however, was a lot different, with Gunther struggling in applying the sleeper hold and, finally, Cena tapping out. The immediate post match scene, with Gunther's theme playing only after some seconds, reminded me of when Brock Lesnar broke Undertaker's streak."

[8.0] "I really enjoyed this one, this was a perfect way for John to go out, Gunther was amazing as this violent and soulless heel, which made Cena's never give up and man of the people so much better, I loved the ending and thought that it was best route to go, if WWE doesn't push Gunther to the moon after this it will be an huge missed opportunity. Thank You Cena for all the Memories. (4.00*)"

[9.0] "I thought they could have gone more "meat" with the kickouts but in the end they stayed behind the Cody and Aj Styles and delivered a solid big match, which still missed something to me. Personally ending was great. ****1/2"

[4.0] "The match had some fun moments and the red hot crowd helped made it seem like it was better than it actually was. But even if the match was perfect before the ending, the ending still would have ruined it. Just silly, pretentious nonsense where the fans in attendance got screwed over more than anyone, after they were responsible for making the night so special. But the match itself before that truly wasn't that great. Two of my biggest pet peeves kept happening: 1. You could see/hear Cena and Gunther call their spots (terrible camera work by WWE), and 2. they always kept their eyes on the refs during pinfalls, taking away all suspense since it makes it obvious to the viewer at home that they were going to kick out (again, horrible camera work by WWE). Cena rules, Gunther is cool, but 2025 WWE sucks. It is what it is."

[6.0] "The story, the moment, the final stretch, were top-notch. However, as a match itself, it was a mere okay. If it wasn't for the emotion involved, I think it would have been regarded as a pretty mediocre contest. All in all, taking everything into consideration, I rate it as **3/4."

[6.0] "I don't put a 6 as in: this match was average or I hated the ending; but more because it took me a lot of time to digest it. At first, I think I was just disapointed because of the expectations I had (I was hoping for a longer match, and honestly, for a blade running, nothing to do with the performances they gave, or the ending choice). So in my experience the match ended a little abruptly, my energy was sucked out and I felt underwhelmed ( I probably cried more waiting fro the match than for the ending itself). BUT now that it is said, after a few days, I think I'm satisfied with what the match did. Eventhough the show wasn't the emotional send off I was expecting, the very end was more awkward than anything let's be honest, it did an incredible job by more or less showcasing some promising talents, and especially for gunther. I really can't wait to see what they do with this heat next, and I hope they continue his retirement match streak ! Overall: bittersweet feeling"

[8.0] "[4.25*] I think no matter what, some people were going to be upset about this. As someone getting into wrestling recently, I don't have the emotional aspect that most people do, so I really feel the right decision was made. Finish aside, this match is really amazing. Gunther was in control as he should be. Certain segments, like the repeated closelines, were slow, but it led up to a big Cena comeback. The false finishes were really great, but none of them felt like Gunther was going away. The ending segment was long and not the greatest. Can't rate due to new account, but solid 8/10"

[10.0] "Despite my early fandom intersecting pretty much exactly with Cena's big push, I was never his biggest fan, for years he just irritated me. Like most eventually I came to acknowledge his considerable upside, I wouldn't say I ever became a super fan or thought of him as some kind of GOAT contender, but even after a fairly lame final year I admit I was a bit nostalgic to see him go down in his final match. Gunther was an ideal opponent for him and put him through the ringer, which is how many of Cena's best matches were structured anyway. I could have lived without some of his goofier playing the crowd moments and the smirk at the end was... odd, but I actually agree with the booking of him putting someone over strong. He knew he was beaten and he was glad there was someone so strong to take the company forward after he is gone, I can dig the story and the match was exemplary."

[9.0] "The finish just absolutely vacuums the atmosphere out of the arena. Crowd was super hot throughout the entire thing (WWE's editing spoiled it a little bit) and then just silence at the end. Hopefully it was the right decision in the long term."

[10.0] "This match isn't objectively a 10, but it gets it simply for the emotion and psychology here. Cena was never a Bryan Danielson, but he can tell a story better than almost anyone. Gunther was the perfect opponent here, and he played his role as the Ivan Drago to Cena's Apollo Creed. This match proves to anyone that Gunther is a legend. Thank you, Cena."

[5.0] "I have absolutely no problem with the finish, not least because WWE point blank told the viewers that Cena was going to tap out to Gunther. Gunther wouldn't have been my first choice to retire Cena, but it was an inoffensive choice that should've produced a great match. Instead, it looked like both competitors phoned it in, with Cena not doing much outside of his 5 moves of doom and Gunther locking in sleepers for seemingly ever. Again, this rating had nothing to do with the finish but what I thought was a dreadfully boring match."

[10.0] "An absolute legend. This match made me rethink the genius of Gunther aka WALTER as a wrestler. What a fantastic match. Gunther's domination was perfect. The passionate crowd's support as John Cena makes his comeback--everything was so simple, yet it's essentially what we've seen before, but all those details came together into a completely new picture. People don't like the fact that John Cena's last match wasn't against Edge, Chris Jericho, or The Rock. But WWE couldn't afford to have Edge, Chris Jericho, or The Rock in this case. Gunther is the perfect choice. Gunther is a top-notch heel of the new era, and how he transforms the crowd's hate into positive energy--and how he bathes in it is pure genius. I'm so glad I watch this sport. You could criticize that the match was too simple in terms of wrestling. You could criticize that they could have come up with more than spam with the Sling Blade and AA at the finish. But it turned out the way it did, and this match will forever remain a benchmark in the career of a legendary wrestler. John Cena didn't give up; he just realized there was no point in continuing, and that was genius. An absolute shock moment for the crowd, and you can really compare it to The Undertaker's streak being broken. I wonder how Gunther's career will progress from here and what his match with Brock Lesnar will look like. By giving this match their default 4.5 stars, Memzer once again discredited himself as an utterly incompetent analyst who doesn't understand wrestling--just like when he didn't give the highest rating to matches like Steve Austin vs The Rock, Hulk Hogan vs The Rock, or Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker. John Cena vs Gunther is pure gold and a solid 5 stars. Thank you, John Cena!"

[8.0] "If I'm not mistaken this is the first WWF/E match I'm rating on Cagematch. Between this match and WrestleMania 33 I had seen only one Cena match. He was still oozing the same excitement that I remember from him, no matter what the circumstances. And from Günther I had seen nothing during his WWE career. He had lost weight and kept the New World Symphony as a theme, which was great. The match itself was beautifully done. Cena was fighting a losing battle. I remember that he always used to pop right up after the slam that set the "U CAN'T C ME". In this match, he rose up slower and older. Günther was a monster. His portrayal was excellent. For Cena to not win, and to tap out the way it was executed was an absolutely beautiful end to his career. I understand perfectly the value of ideals, and the criticism that by tapping out Cena and the backstage machine behing him were betraying a huge audience. But I encourage everyone to think further. Look how many minutes Cena fought a losing battle against a monster, and against the rear-naked choke. Technically a tapout, but I interpret that there was no more battle during the final seconds of the match. Technically he could have been passed out at the moment of the tapout. Cena welcomed defeat like a person fed up with life welcomes death. Draw a comparison to the final Kaito Kiyomiya vs Keiji Muto match from a few years ago. There, after many a struggle to get out of the submission, Muto's tapout came after the visible realization that he had lost. But in Cena's case the emotional work was even better. The final stretch of the match moved me to tears. And besides, in real life there is no shame in tapping out. I don't blame the crowd for booing and chanting "bullshit" because they couldn't have seen the storytelling the way replays and home can show it."

[9.0] "That match was a masterclass in tension, delivering the kind of high-stakes drama we only see once or twice a generation. It really did echo the big-fight feel of Cena's legendary encounters with Brock Lesnar or AJ Styles, starting with Gunther's brutal physical dominance and escalating into a desperate "finisher-fest" that pushed both men to their limits. The ending was polarizing, but undeniably poetic. While the "Never Give Up" mantra is the foundation of Cena's character, seeing him finally smile and let go felt like the ultimate conclusion to his story. It wasn't that he "gave up" in the traditional sense, it was that he had nothing left to give and was at peace with passing the torch. Gunther was the perfect choice for this because he brings a level of legitimacy and "real wrestling" intensity that made the submission feel earned rather than forced. Gunther is now cemented as the ultimate villain of this era, and that "legend killer" heat is going to be nuclear. It was a beautiful, if heartbreaking, way to end a 26-year journey."

[7.0] "Haven't kept up with WWE since the Summerslam incident and i don't plan on doing so after this either but i thought id check this out because this is obviously the final match of one of the most popular wrestlers in history against a guy who i think is great. This has some problems but overall, i thought it was quite good. In general, most of the wrestling here is solid, even if some of the big spots aren't given a lot of room to breathe and the pacing is a bit weird sometimes. The final 5 minutes of this though is pretty brilliant, with Gunther constantly catching Cena in a sleeper while Cena tries his best to defend against it. They do a lot to keep this interesting, with Cena breaking the hold on a few occasions only for Gunther to go straight back into it and this entire segment is also helped a lot by how hot the crowd is for John. Cena is able to hit an AA on Gunther for a near fall but Gunther is able to immediately get right back to the sleeper which he is eventually able to submit him with. A good finish i thought, although i definitely could've done without John smiling as he tapped. This is a WWE match so the commentary sucks and the crowd is a bit annoying but overall there was a lot of good stuff here especially during the closing stages of the match. ***3/4"

[4.0] "Amazing atmosphere and a compelling presentation overall; however, the action was mostly underwhelming and not particularly memorable, with a finish that felt somewhat anticlimactic and frustrating. The drama in the aftermath was very tense and memorable, though perhaps not for the right reasons. In the end, the match felt bittersweet, underwhelming, and slightly confusing, especially given how easily it had the makings of a classic."

[2.0] "This wasnt a terrible match in its execution, but for a couple of reasons it was a little tricky for me to fully enjoy, and the fact that this was Cena's last match just wasnt enough to offset that for me personally. First off, the match felt more like a tribute to Cena than a classic wrestling match, and the psychology felt inconsistent right from the start. The opening was strange. Cena hit his signature offense almost immediately, and Gunther sold heavily before taking much actual damage. That gave the match a weird rhythm early on, and it never really settled into something that felt like a natural back and forth struggle. The pacing stayed off too. There were long stretches where Gunther seemed to sell on the floor for far too long so Cena could hype the crowd. I get that this probably helped the live experience, but watching it back it repeatedly pulled me out of the match. It started to feel less like a Gunther match and more like a John Cena production featuring Gunther, and thats really where it fell flat for me. Gunther's usual intensity and ring psychology just werent reflected here. The structure also lacked that natural sense of cause and effect that makes a match feel compelling rather than just a series of moments. Cena was clearly calling spots throughout, and once you noticed it, it was hard to unsee. On top of that, a few moves looked mistimed or didnt fully connect, which broke immersion even more. To be fair, there were some good moments. The avalanche FU was cool, the FU on the announce table looked good, and the submission spots added some much needed psychology. Gunther's late comeback was important too, and the crowd was clearly into it. Even so, the finish still felt strangely flat. The sleeper sequence went on far too long, and the visual of Cena tapping out with a faint smile didnt come off as poetic or profound to me. It felt more ironic than impactful, and just kind of muted overall. I respect Cena for putting over the next generation, and I understand the intent behind this being a respectful sendoff. I also grew up watching Cena, and I get why this meant so much to a lot of people. I know he is 48 years old and his body is worn down, and Im not ignoring that context. But between the odd pacing, the broken psychology, and a finish that drained the atmosphere rather than elevating it, this felt more like a commemorative moment than a match that will really age well. For a lot of fans, this will probably stand as a meaningful rite of passage, and that likely explains the high ratings. But as a match, with the circumstances set aside, it just didnt quite land for me."

[6.0] "Match was semi-decent throughout the whole match with some pretty cool spots like the super AA but the ending sucked with multiple sleeper holds. Attempted comeback, sleeper hold, attempted comeback, sleeper hold, into the turnbuckle, back into a sleeper hold, AA, 1, 2, kick out, right back into a sleeper hold, another attempted comeback, elbows, and back into another sleeper hold and Cena taps, good grief. Other than the sleeper-hold mania ending, match was fine."

[3.0] "I am convinced that HHH no longer books for actual fans of wrestling but instead tries to maximize engagement and review. First all of this Saudi shit and then this nonsensical match that has the worst illogical ending I've seen in my entire life. Why would John Cena go out like a bitch with a smile on his face? In what world does that at all reflect his character or paint him in a good light whatsoever. This whole tour has been a disaster and I was just hoping for at least a half decent match so we could all take in what he's done for the business but instead we needed some stupid "I guess I can rest now :, )" bullshit moment. The funny thing is that the match was fine up until the finish, literally all they had to do was have Cena hit the 5 moves of doom after doing the okay sign thing and this all would've been OKAY. *1/2"

[8.0] "This is not a seven star instant classic but it is a damn good match that tells a damn good story. John Cena got me excited for a sleeper hold spot on the way out. The finish was a metaphor for Cena's career. He could keep fighting the sleeper hold, but at the end of the day Gunther has him. The sleeper is inevitable. It's best for John Cena to just tap and walk away while he still can. It's hauntingly beautiful, as if you're watching this legend's career fade to black. Unlike many other wrestlers that I've seen have "retirement" matches, I believe this really is his final match, and I think this was a damn near perfect way to go out. Cena fought hard just as he did his whole career, but father time does no jobs, best to move on while you're still ahead."

[5.0] "It is not a great match, even if it was the special retirement John Cena's retirement match. I think that it not as the Kurt Angle's retirement, but the John Cena's final match deserves better then a normal, slow and scholastic match."

[6.0] "The match itself wasn't anything special, but it had amazing heat and great emotions, the finish certainly was... a choice, and bad one imo but it still was an historical moment and a decent match. Thank you Cena."

[5.0] "With a broken heart, I'll talk about this. The match was hard to process, for every possible reason: Cena's retirement, Cena's loss, the match itself. I have no problem with Cena losing; it could have been his retirement with a victory, but I don't mind seeing him lose. The match was strange, too many FUs (or Attitude Adjustments, call them what you will), too many sleeper holds, too many lariats. And I'd like to talk about this: in my family, there's a term called "passion killer." The name speaks for itself, but I'll explain it anyway. It's when there's an action or moment that ruins the passion, emotion, and/or feeling, and Gunther's lariats were passion killers. So slow, so boring, they completely disrupted the match's flow (flowing, but not fast). What I remember most about the match is that: seeing the crowd so silent, so calm for the first time that night was terrible. I assume he calmed the crowd to prepare them for the end. The in-ring action was objectively bad, repetitive moves, and frankly awful selling from both wrestlers. The action wasn't fast, it wasn't anything special, but I have to admit it was fluid. It was an unworthy match, for everyone, for the event itself (it's called "WWE Saturday Night's Main Event #42 - John Cena's Final Match" for a reason). It was unworthy of Gunther; I know Gunther can do many things, but he couldn't show it on this occasion. It was unworthy of Cena; he deserved better. I'm not giving this match a 0.0 because of the message, because of the special background, but if it weren't John's last match, I would gladly give it the well-deserved 0.0 (goodness, how many times have I said John's last match? ). This is where it all ends (literally, because this was Cena's last match and also because this is the end of my review). Thank you, Cena, truly, you made my childhood incredible. Now all I care about is crying every night for the rest of my life."

[6.0] "It may be difficult to understand as I am using the translation function. The scene where Cena, who believes in never giving up, accepts defeat, smiles and quietly taps out was a good punchline. However, there was nothing special about his entrance, the match content or the post-match ceremony, and it didn't stir any emotion at all. I didn't expect I would feel so empty about Cena's retirement. Thank you, John Cena. Thank you, WWE. Thank you for giving me such fond memories. And goodbye."

[9.0] "This match was genuinely one of the best moments of my life. Cena retired in a way no one predicted, not giving up to Gunther but from pro wrestling. Gunther got the moment of retiring 2 greats in one year."

[7.0] "I'll say 7.5/10. Cena get most of his greatest hits in and gave it his best shot against Gunther. My main critique though is that the last third or quarter of the match was just Gunther doing countless sleeper hold attempts til' Cena finally tapped out, like they coulda gone for more submission holds like the one he make LA tap with. Don't mind the tap out as much as others coz it's effective for maximum heartbreak, and the expression on Cena was the cherry on top."

[9.0] "In this match, John showed that his actions throughout the year would be nostalgic for the rest of his life, and who knows what John will tell us when he steps into the ring as the leader of the Nation, fighting those who stand in his way and never giving up."

[0.0] "Dire and scary in the stupidest fashion in that this match killed off any part that could be classified as fleshing out, "conective tissue", the In-between, so anything that requires parsing to access, in favor of going to the middle section of a typical match 2 mins in, and going to the final stretch of a typical match 4 mins in with 19 min still left to go. So it's a perfect Stockholder's Match; Gunther had barely anything to do with its construction. HHHWWE is MCU Star Wars pro wrestling, and extending this into the Scorsese quote, just a theme park attraction and nothing else, which of course many fans, even those who are extremely reputable, will praise matches for being car crashes, but the difference is those matches have craft in how they're constructed, have respect for pro wrestling tradition, and actually have a sense of balance for listening to the crowd without diluting it to a Mr Beast fan serviced embarrassment that only amplifies the slurry for media dependents (who directed their hate for the finish to HHH rather than Gunther, because that is MEDIA dependency, not investment in the kayfabe, a big part due to HHH's need for attention. A complete shitshow HHHWWE is lol). AKA they can discern. And Cena's selling of the first chop and subsequent stomp, and the finish were funny, cause hes a robot. Even if you ignore any controversies outside of the actual 2-3 hour show, HHHWWE is still an embarrassment, that fact only shielded by pro wrestling being one the most isolated art forms, and by hiding behind the lowest common denominators."

[9.0] "A very traditional pro wrestling match. We had a clear face vs heel matchup with both men playing their roles extremely well. Multiple false finishes really pulled the audience in even more than they already were. Cena looked great physically and Gunther was his usual excellent self. You couldn't have asked for a better foe to have your last match with. The match was paced well and the action was very clean. The crowd was shocked at the finish, a credit to everyone involved in this one. This is professional wrestling at its finest."

[2.0] "A very very very sloppy match swoly and sloppy. The finish with smile make me laught. Yes Cena is finish. He finally retired. Super Cena j'espère finally dead. Having Cena tap out to Gunther's sleeper after all those years of "Never Give Up" was a bold choice to put Gunther over huge, but the execution felt very awkward and weird - it dragged a bit too long in the hold, and the transition didn't hit with the impact it needed. Overall, a disappointing send-off for one of the all-time greats. The post-match celebration with the locker room was heartfelt, but it couldn't save the in-ring product for me. The post match was so cringe."

[8.0] "Pretty interesting farewell match for Cena... I was hoping for something more purist here, specially after Cena's matches with Logan Paul and AJ Styles, which were good matches, but I wanted to see a straight up wrestling match, with logic and high stakes, and Gunther is a specialist in those, because well, he's a purist by essence, and that's kinda what happened here, it wasn't an old-school classic like Punk vs Gunther, but the match was great, I've really wanted a blade job from Cena, but I can understand his mind and approach is different now. The bout was a cool mix of old and modern stuff, it had some finishers and nearfalls, but without losing the meaning and the logic. The crowd was honestly great here, they looked like a crowd that really care for Cena, and not those influencers and non-wrestling people, even though the tickets are so expensive, the place was loud and enjoying the moment. The entire match was super interesting and progressed super well, very fun to watch, and the dynamic of Gunther mauling Cena and sending him straight into retirement is awesome, he's got the killer vibe and the silence when he finally put Cena down was tremendous, a mix of shock and disappointment. The fact Cena tapped out, something very rare throughout his career, is very meaningful, I don't know if I would do that way, but it's undeniably remarkable - {****}"

[7.0] "Nothing special would probably be the way to describe this, and the flat as a pancake ending that the crowd absolutely hated wouldn't do much to help my rating. Quite boring in places, very repetitive, but objectively good in others with a red hot crowd. But yeah, crap finish and never got near the heights that a match like this should have got IMO, should have been easy to nail a stone cold classic and they never got near that for me."

[10.0] "What an amazing career & finish for John Cena. I have 0 complaints for this match from Gunther being the final opponent to him making Cena tap out for the win. The story of his career being a man that never gave up finally deciding to end things on his term is beautiful writing. The heel heat that Gunther has now moving forward is perfect because he's the old school badass heel & now everyone wants too see him get beat. I do love the legend killer gimmick that he has going on fits him well. This was a great match"

[8.0] "***** A gem of a match, the perfect ending for Cena. Very controversial, but honestly, it was the best. Excellent chemistry; Gunther and Cena complemented each other brilliantly. Despite their different styles, they knew how to work together in a match that was more Gunther's style. Excellent intensity from start to finish. Gunther dominated the match and, during the first part, wasn't trying to pin Cena. He was trying to make him submit by punishing him with tremendous lariats and telling the referee to ask Cena if he would give up. Then, in a masterclass of storytelling, when Cena started to turn the match around with that AA through the table and multiple moves, Gunther became desperate trying to counterattack and started going for pinfalls without success. A great pace, perfectly suited to the match. The kick-outs were fantastic; Gunther's after the last AA was brilliant. All of Gunther's moves had a single objective: to weaken and damage Cena's neck. In the third part of the match, he tried to make Cena submit, but it was a real struggle. To do it, Cena resisted like no one ever had. Gunther constantly tried to keep Cena in the Sleeper Hold, but Cena fought and fought, though each time it became more difficult. Then came the final moment. In an excellent finish, Cena couldn't escape the hold and had already done everything and more to defeat Gunther. Then, out of nowhere, Cena looked at the camera, smiled, and decided to tap out, to everyone's surprise. The crowd was in total shock, a reaction not seen since the end of the streak. Gunther sold it brilliantly, as even he couldn't believe what he had accomplished. The way Cena submitted was magnificent; Gunther pushed him to the point of surrendering, never forced him. Cena made the conscious decision, as that look at the camera made it clear he no longer had any reason to keep trying. That "Never Give Up" that had lasted more than 20 years had come to an end. John Cena decided to surrender, closing his career and one of his greatest legacies. Overall, the match is one of the best of the year and one of the best of Cena's career. Gunther delivered a masterclass. Cena's performance in the match was classy, and he put in a lot of effort to adapt and follow the style of the match, leaving the match with noticeable physical damage. It's one of those great retirements that reminds me a lot of Shawn Michaels', where both faced the best possible opponent, gave a legendary match, and retired in good physical condition, not looking embarrassing in their 50s or 60s"

[8.0] "Nobody in today's wrestling world would even have the balls to spend the final few minutes in a sleeper hold. Here, though, Gunther showed everyone that you should go with the finish that fits the match, not the one designed to get five stars from Dave. The pace was great from start to finish, with the fans clearly energized the entire time and giving Gunther a strong heel reaction. He dominated Cena, but John still got in a few of his signature moves to pop the crowd. Once the sleeper was applied, though, the match really kicked into another gear. Cena actually sold it brilliantly for once, and the finish with him smiling was the cherry on top for me. A one-of-a-kind ending that made perfect sense and instantly became a classic image. Easily the best match of Cena's retirement tour."

[8.0] "We had the pre-match and post-match shows where we could see Cena's old rivals: Booker T, Angle, Punk, Owens. I would have liked to see Rollins or even Orton. Gunther did it. Not only did he beat Cena, but he also made him submit. Gunther is now the hated heel everyone wants to take down."

[10.0] "Would have been a 9, but the video package at the end coupled with the moment AND the Gunther segment that came out of this bumps it up to a 10. John went out on his back, realizing he no longer had to carry the mantle, and tapped out. And in doing so, made perhaps the most hated heel in modern day wrestling. Brilliant. The match itself was good, but the moment of it all makes it what it is."

[7.0] "Gunther is really good. He's amazing at getting a good match out of any wrestler of any style and he could really be the future of the Guarantee WWE for years to come. He was a very good main eventer and the best choice for Cena's retirement match. I don't think there was a better choice."

[9.0] "In front of the whole world GUNTHER, BIG GUNTHER stripped john cena of his ethics and values and made him tap out. He made cena oppose his words of 'never give up' and he can never make up for his wrongdoing physically ever again."

"This finish annoyed me enough that I made a cagematch account to talk about it. Look, I'm not opposed to the idea of having Cena tap - hell, I LIKE it - but it's just... the way he tapped, you know? It didn't make Gunther look strong, it didn't make Cena look all that cool, knowing this company it probably won't lead up to a payoff that feels all that rewarding for Gunther; like, perhaps if I had more faith in WWE to actually do something meaningful with this victory for Gunther, then I'd like this outcome more, but how could I possibly be that optimistic? I really feel like when the dust settles, in a years time, we'll look back at this match and say "....that's it? that was the finish of Cena's last match? ". As for the match itself, I just don't feel that this is befitting as a finale to probably the most legendary career in the history of professional wrestling. This is John Cena, for God's sake. You do a whole retirement tour, paying homage to your greatest rivals and adversaries along the way, reminiscing upon the most legendary moments of your career - which are, as a result, some of the most legendary moments in wrestling as a whole - and the final stop is... definitely a Gunther match. Which isn't innately a bad thing, mind you! I think Gunther is a little but overrated, but he's alright! But why did we do this? Why is this the final stop on Cena's retirement tour? Did Gunther need this? Did he get a lot out of it? He's the longest ever intercontinental champion, he held the world heavyweight champtionship for almost a year; everyone ALREADY knows he's big and scary and mean and intimidating and whatever, so was this necessary? Was this worth using up the last stop of Cena's career? This was supposed to be Cena's big, final hurrah, but ultimately it felt like just another match. It would be disappointing even if it WASN'T Cena's last one. This experience was meant to make me feel sentimental, satisfied and emotional - but really just kinda left me feeling bad for Cena. He deserved way more."

[10.0] "[3.5*] a beautiful disaster of a final run for john cena, ignore the rating. my real rating is 3.5*, but this match feels kinda special not for the match, but for gunther's theme livin' in our heads for a final run."

[10.0] "Perfection. The only word I can find for this match. Just from the entrance you can sense the aura that the fight was going to have. How Gunther looked so powerful and dominant for the whole match, while Cena was once again the underdog telling the story of Super Cena, making comebacks and close ends. The public was fantastic, cheering at the top of their lungs whenever Cena had some response, or insulting and chanting against Gunther at any occasion. The ending was perfect, that false hope of Cena not passing out to then have him tapping out slowly. Amazing story telling in the ring and the best outcome possible in the last figth of the G.O.A.T. I been following wrestling since 2012, since I was 5 years old and I had memory, Cena has been always my favorite, then, now and forever, and this is the best way to show him the love he deserves. Thank you for everything, John Cena. Never Give Up."

[8.0] "Yeah what a match this was an almost perfect send off to one of the biggest wrestlers of all time and triple H finally making a good booking decision (every Brocken clock etc). I thought this match was excellent with a perfect methodical build and great crowd work from both men as you would expect. The slow fight with Cena trying to pull out everything in his bag to get the advantage but anytime he also most had it Gunther managed to pull out a move to gain back some of the control. We of course got some super Cena stuff with the super FU and then the FU through the desk which were both cool. We then got what i thought was the best with them going back and fourth between Cena trying to hit one last FU and Gunther trying to chock the life out of him and it went back and fourth in an amazing way them we got the final sleeper with teh ref holding Cena's arm up (yes it was so obvious that his arm was going to stay up on the 3rd check) then we got some amazing hammer and anvil elbows from Gunther before Cena finally tapped out. Yeah i loved this match could it of been better yes did it do everything it needed to do yes a million times over it has given Gunther nuclear heat going forward and has cemented him as the top heel even without the belt which is great. It also gave Cena an amazing send off ironic that HHH finally booking something good got him booed after how shit this year has been but hey ho. Overall a great match and a good ending (could of used some blood for me) I may have not been the biggest Cena fan and am in the camp that he is nowhere near the Goat debate but i will say thank you Cena for the first time in my life. (****1/4)"

[7.0] "Don't get it twisted, this wasn't Cena "giving up", this was him being content with everything and accepting that it was simply time to walk away. 17x champion, he doesn't have anything left to prove. Father time eventually catches up to everybody, and that's okay."

[8.0] "Not only was this Cena's best match all year, but Gunther genuinely looked excellent here too. And that ending? Guys it was near perfection. Anyone coming off salty in that arena looked petty and toxic. Cena went out on his own terms, put a huge heel over, and managed to get in everything he needed to. It wasn't perfect (I'd maybe have had him pass out instead of tap out, but would that hurt Gunther's heel run? Who knows! ) but it was RIGHT."

[8.0] "Gunther feels like he's hitting a little softer on the now Hollywood star, but this is still a great sendoff in what was an otherwise terrible final run. Brilliant final stretch, with a finish that left the crowd deafeningly silent, cementing Gunther as an already made man. Real heel heat is back."

[3.0] "This was a 3/10 for me. This match, marking the end of John Cena's legendary in-ring career, unfortunately fell flat for me in a big way. It was heavily reliant on trading finishers and near-falls - lots of Attitude Adjustments, sleepers, and chop exchanges - which I get is classic Cena style with his Five Moves of Doom and comeback sequences. But for a retirement match of this magnitude, the formatting felt lazy and distasteful. It was basically a greatest hits reel without much storytelling or buildup to make it feel epic or emotional until the very end. I went in expecting something more special - maybe deeper psychology, callbacks to Cena's career, or a more varied pace to honor his legacy. Instead, it came across as formulaic, almost like any other Cena main event from the past decade. And the finish? Having Cena tap out to Gunther's sleeper after all those years of "Never Give Up" was a bold choice to put Gunther over huge, but the execution felt very awkward and weird - it dragged a bit too long in the hold, and the transition didn't hit with the impact it needed. Overall, a disappointing send-off for one of the all-time greats. The post-match celebration with the locker room was heartfelt, but it couldn't save the in-ring product for me."

[8.0] "[4.0*] After a lot of thinking, I really, really loved the match. Yes, I wanted a Cena bloodbath like the Umaga and JBL matches for the old times, but I understand that he was never going to do that in 2025. Nonetheless, I thought it was a very well written last encounter that felt like a light version of Bryan vs Moxley in MANY aspects, which is a compliment. The ending stretch specifically was comically similar with tons of parallels. Of course there's some notable issues like Cena calling every single spot out loud and not eating a single strike - which was very beast because he didn't give a fuck. His chemistry with Gunther wasn't the best either, although I think it was a good thing because it made the match less mechanical. The match was clearly based around the story rather than the workrate which is kinda different for a Gunther match but it was cool to see. Cena just tried and tried and tried and tried until he wasn't able to try anymore. He escaped and escaped and escaped until he could not. And then, he gave up. Not because "the catchphrase doesn't mean shit anymore", but because he just didn't to keep fighting this specific battle. He had already proven himself for us for the past 25 years, so he just understood that his time was up and died in peace. His facial expression didn't feel lame at all, I thought it was very emotional and cool. He knew there wasn't more of the Super Cena powers left in him. Like I said, he know his time was up and Gunther's time was now, putting the Ring General over big time. Thank you for everything, Mr. Cena. You CAN wrestle and you're fucking awesome."

[3.0] "The match isn't bad, but the end...this ending is a gigantic scriptwriting flaw, considering everything John Cena's character represents. John Cena giving up was one of the stupidest things I've ever witnessed. Just because it was John's idea doesn't mean they have to accept it. It's bad, it's disrespectful to all the fans. They managed to tarnish John Cena's career with this awful ending. Congrats to Triple H and for all the creative team."