Gunther vs. John Cena

[10.0] "Boy where do I start. From the entrances to how Gunther was locked in for what was about to come, to Cena making his way to the ring to another huge pop. This is what the good folks paid their money to see. It was Cena's last match. Superman doing battle one last time. So many little things popped here. Gunther not waiting in the ring when Cena made his entrance, Cena saluting his contemporaries that were ringside (Kurt, Sami, Trish, Haku, Eve Torres! , even Elias was there). This was gonna be an emotional match. Gunther stooging/stalling at the beginning of the match made me so happy, heat seeking at its finest right there it was lovely. The heat Gunther was getting during this match was tremendous. To think y'all wanted La Knight in this spot. Noticed how in the early going Gunther wasn't end going for pins. He vowed to make Cena give up so he was mowing him down in the process to warm up to that. You tapped out chants even broke out. Cena tries to amount of his early comebacks at an attempt to win the match but Gunther turns it around in quick order with a german suplex, and a mean clothesline. Then Gunther attempts to go for the sleeper hold but Cena counters with an stf. Gunther manages to get out of it and hits Cena with a dropkick and a powerbomb. Again, didn't even go for a pin. Gunther asked the ref to ask Cena if he wanted to give up. This is the way he wanted to win the match, not by pinfall, but from Cena giving up. Gunther would then respond with a series of clotheslines, talking trash and seeking heat in the process. The heat is tremendous here. Then Cena looks to rally again, feeding off the crowd, moving with a sense of urgency, hits his five moves of doom that led to a kickout from Gunther after being hit with an aa. Cena looks to go for another for reassurance but Gunther counters by hitting a chop to the back and locking into another sleep hold attempt. Cena gets out of it and applies a sleeper of his own. Gunther remembers what happened at mania and got out of it almost immediately. Takes a second to breathe on the outside, lures Cena by hitting a chop and slamming him onto the apron, throws him into the steel steps, then seeks heat relishing in what he did by telling the crowd off. Just brilliant work from Gunther here. Gunther gets too ahead of himself by not taking the chance of putting Cena away sooner, and he pays for it after Cena hits him with an aa through the announce table countering the powerbomb attempt that leads to another kickout. Cena selling in this match my gosh. When he realizes that the momentum is back on his side again he goes for his patented top rope leg drop. Just look at how the crowd is reacting to everything that's happening. As Cena was looking to go for another five knuckle shuffle, playing off the crowd just a bit too long, it allowed Gunther to recover in time hitting an array of moves. Big boot, german, powerbomb. Gunther goes for the pin this time, selling that he might have to beat Cena another way since he wasn't going to go down easy in his last match. Gunther then attempted to go for his patented splash but Cena was a step ahead and hits Gunther with a super aa for another nearfall. The crowd is so behind Cena. No duelling chants, proper face/heel dynamic. Living by every moment hoping Superman finds a way to win one last time. Gunther got frustrated again after Cena kicked out of the splash again but Gunther wouldn't let up. Don't give up chants ensue when Gunther has Cena in the sleeper hold, Cena fighting for dear life trying to avoid the words his modeled his career after. Cena even managed to hit another aa that led to a kickout. Selling the attrition his body has been through from what Gunther has done to him, but Gunther wouldn't let up, he vowed to make Cena give up. Cena continued fighting until his body just couldn't take it anymore. And then unthinkable happens, Cena gave up. He accepted the reality that it was going to happen eventually, but you had to see it to believe it. Superman wasn't Superman anymore. Our hero we once knew was no more. And just like that, Cena is officially retired. This hit even more for me after rewatching it cause I missed some little details that happened, like when he cracked a smile as he tapped out. It's the little things like this that made John Cena so special. All the positive platitudes you could throw his way still feels like an understatement for what this man has meant to the WWE, and to so many people around the world who grow up watching him when they were kids, to the new fans that came along the way now. This match is a perfect example of what professional wrestling is all about, when it makes you feel. Thank you Cena. This sport won't be the same without you. ****3/4"

[3.0] "I just found this boring, 20+ minutes with what felt like 10 of them being sleeper hold. Gunther's strikes did not feel as impactful as usual, the pre sleeper action was nothinf to write home about, I love Gunther, I like Cena, but neither of them felt at their peak for this. They were outside of the ring for the table spot for like a 50 count, there was just 4 minutes of lariat selling, and Cena spammed finishers and Gunther didn't feel at his best and none of it worked for me."

[5.0] "John Cena could've walked the ring, pulled his jorts down, took a shit and fans would call it cinema. It was typical WWE fare. Meaning a lot of resting in between finisher and signature exchanges. It was fine except for the very long and drawn out ending which saw Cena in and out of the sleeper for what felt like hours. Then he meekly taps out with the dopiest grin on his face killing all the drama. It was surprisingly cheesy. Thank God Triple H came out and was the only person to get on the apron. It was very important for him to let the fans know how much that moment meant to him...It was all a little depressing. Cena retiring in a blah match in a city with no meaning to him at an event with no meaning to him."

[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] "Trotz persönlicher Fed-Abstinenz kam ich natürlich nicht um John Cena's Retirement Match und das ist - entgegen meiner eigenen Behauptung nach seiner gescheiterten Titelverteidigung bei eben jenem SummerSlam - sein offiziell letzter Banger gewesen, ****. Ein würdiger Abschied einer der größten Pro-Wrestler aller Zeiten. Gunther ein Macher im Ring und offenkundig ehrenvoller Finalgegner der Never Seen 17; WALTER als Cena's letzter Gegner ist trotzdem surreal. In-Ring ist's 100% ein John Cena Match gewesen, dazu hat's leicht an seinen Titelkampf bei WrestleMania erinnert - in einer durchdachteren Zusammensetzung. Statt jedoch Triumph ist Cena's Abgang bittersüß und ein Tal der Tränen, Abklopfen und sein von Akzeptanz dreinschauender Blick zum Schluss sind unglaublich poetisch. In Michael Cole's Worten ist das die Nacht, in der das Pro-Wrestling Sports Entertainment niederrang - und das obwohl's zum ersten Mal seit schon ewiglanger Zeit Hand-in-Hand lief."

[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."

[6.0] "Ein packendes, spannendes Match, dass aber trotzdem kein letztes Match für cena verdient hat. Gunther ist der falsche Gegner und der falsche Style, trotzdem war es ein gutes solides Match, für mich aber nur Platz 3 des abends"

[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"

[9.0] "This was probably one of the best ways someone has did their last match in WWE. Both Wrestlers deserve a huge pat on the back for that beautiful performance."

[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."

[8.0] "Was ein Match. Was ein Abschied. Einfach richtig Stark. Mit so einer Leistung kann man seine Karriere beenden."

[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."

[5.0] "Das ging mal wieder viel zu lange, insbesondere wenn man den kardiovaskulären Zustand von John Cena bedenkt. Somit gab es eine Menge Stalling, Selling und Crowdwork. Immerhin wurde im Finish eine schöne Geschichte erzählt"

[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."

[10.0] "Ich hab's komplett gefühlt, dieses Match. Ein Best of Cena wie es im Buche steht: gemächlich fängt's an, dann geht's in die Signature-Phase und danach werden die Finisher ausgepackt. AAs im Ring, Logdrop vom Turnbuckle, durch den Tisch geht's auch noch. Immer schön eingeleitet mit Gunther-Offensiven und begleitet von Cenas verschmitztem Grinsen - die letzte Reise hat er genossen. Eigentlich hat man hier alles rausgeholt, wenngleich mehr Aufbau und Interaktion zwischen Gunther und Cena für die Story hilfreich gewesen wäre (Cena: "I won't give up, I will not let my fans down." Gunther: "You will, if you like it or not." Cena: "Be careful that you don't give up as you did at WM.") ... da wär so viel drin gewesen. So musste man sich die Intensität etwas herbeidenken. Beide machen das auch sehr überzeugend, wenn sich Cena ein ums andere Mal doch noch aus dem Sleeper befreit, bis es nicht mehr geht. Wieder das verschmitzte Grinsen, abklopfen. Gegen Gunther und noch mehr gegen die Zeit. Die ausufernden Reaktionen gegen HHH und HBK waren im Nachgang total unangemessen - das war eine nachvollziehbare Booking-Entscheidung. Zumal Gunther davon mehr Nuklearheat zieht als er es über das ganze letzte Jahr vermocht hat; die Reaktionen bei RAW sprechen Bände. Trotz marginalem Aufbau eine knappe 10. Es war denkwürdig."

[10.0] "This was the perfect ending to Cena's career. This was the death of John Cena's character, by having him tap out. His heart may not have quit, but his body did, and his mind knew it was the right decision. In this match, John stayed loyal to his trademarks by Hustling throughout the whole match, trying to win without cutting edges, which kept his respect there. In the end, Cena was forced to tap out. In a way, yes, he did give up, however, he wanted to preserve his body. He knew his body couldn't keep up with his heart. He smiled after giving it his all, and tapped out. He gave Gunther everything he could throw, but Gunther came back time and time again, until Cena couldn't. It was emotional and the crowd was upset, Cena's farewell was the right way for him to go. The people who think this was bullshit, truly don't know the essence of psychology in professional wrestling, or they're just ten years old. A truly amazing experience. Thank you, Cena."

[7.0] "Absolutely insane to see that anyone is taking issue with this. This was never going to be a bona fide in-ring classic, and except for a few very drawn-out segments, this was so much better than I could have anticipated. Cena's retirement tour and WWE under Hunter have been rubbish, but this match itself will be memorable for all the right reasons. Having him go out quitting, with a smile on his face knowing his time has come, was beautiful."

[9.0] "Brilliant match and even better storytelling, but tapping out was not the right outcome. "Never Give Up" is a way of life which John Cena spread the message throughout his wrestling career and keeps on spreading outside of wrestling. "Never Give Up" to somebody might not mean much, but it means a lot to someone who keeps on battling through tough times and makes sure doesn't give up, and to see this outcome, can be heartbreaking to that person more than you think. "Never Give Up" is a phrase for all humans of all ages to live with and to never give up on what's right. "Never Give Up" is a phrase for so many kids to look up to and keep that message going and see John Cena as an inspiration, but now "Never Give Up" with this outcome from John Cena has far less leverage than it had. The message still stands, but the messenger ended up not living to his own word. If he was a heel and he tapped out, that would be a different story. Babyface John Cena had no reason to tap out if there was no major sacrifice to tap out for. I wonder how John will explain his decision to tap out in this match in his future interviews, but I believe the argument will not be good enough to prove that it was the right outcome. Only benefit out of Cena tapping out is that Gunther will be an even bigger heel and he will be an even bigger name with a resumé that is similar to Brock ending The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak. As for the match overall, this was the best retirement match I've seen and I personally think it's better than Sting's final match, which would be a close second to Cena's final match, simply for the storytelling reasons and the amount of people invested in Cena's final match which no one will be able to top."

[9.0] "In-ring wise, this match wasn't the best, but it also nearly as bad as the Lesnar match at midpalzooa. The story telling of this match is what elevates it to a 9 for me. Gunther's promo on MNR that week solidified that John Cena was going to tap out. Unfortunately, people's love for John Cena, which is absolutely deserved, made them delusional that he stood any chance against Gunther. Cena was NEVER going to win his last match, even if it was against Max Caster. They told a great story. A 10 could've easily been met if they brought more energy and a better structured match, but I'm not disappointed."

[4.0] "This was alright. It was a very long match. Gunther used the same few moves over and over again. Cena did the five moves of doom (which was fine here, and the crowd really loved it). There were some really fun moments where Cena fought back and it looked like he might win. The finish was a bit of a bummer though. I suppose it made sense, but I don't really care about Gunther and think he's overrated."

[8.0] "Ich bin ja eigentlich kein Mainstreamwrestlingzuschauer mehr aber ich muss sagen: Das war ein gutes letztes Match von John Cena. Das war ein stimmungsvolles, emotionales Big Match im positiven Sinne. Mir hat es gefallen für das was es war und ich vergebe 8 Punkte."

[9.0] "Actually, that was realy great match. It feels like Cena's matches with Lesnar and Styles, because GUNTHER on the first part just destroyed John by his power, but the second part was like finisher-fest with near falls and high level of tension. That's why GUNTHER was a good choice for Cena's last opponent, he gave this match another level of tension and emotion for John. And I liked that Cena tapps out for end his career. That was beautiful. It can be better? Probably, yes. But I think that it was very good in everething."

[8.0] "Such a weird feeling to this match it both felt amazing and lacklustre. The more I thought about who should be Cena's last opponent I realised I didn't want it to be anyone. I think the fact that the only time he tapped was in his last match was great as it kinda symbolised him giving up this part of his life and moving on. He even did a little smile just before he tapped. This match was special but still missing something."

[1.0] "And so, John Cenas career ends on an unfortunately expected low note, leaving fans in the arena deeply unsatisfied - which feels fitting with how poorly managed his last year as a wrestler was. Gunther handled his role fine as the heel here, but from start to finish this match failed to deliver on what a final match should be, especially for a career like John Cena's. The final stretch felt like a desperate attempt to tell a story that fell flat, and did very little to send fans home happy, which isn't something you want to do in professional wrestling. WWE isn't good at retirement matches or final runs, and the John Cena retirement tour for me has now been a complete failure, when it should have been excellent."

[7.0] "Credit where credit is due, despite the bumpy road to get there, Cena's final night felt huge and one worthy of his career. As for the match itself. I enjoyed it. Largely serving as a showcase for Cena to be able to play the hits one last time. I even like the finish. I thought it was a bold and poetic way for the man who never gives up to finally give up in his last match. Cena may be old and not the in-ring performer he once was, but his ability to manipulate a crowd is still second to none, and he put on a tremendous display tonight in that regard. The one qualm I have with the match was the closing stretch. I get the idea. Cena is repeatedly put in the sleeper hold time after time until even "Super Cena" can't continue and taps just I thought the execution could've been a tad better. The finish felt a bit anticlimactic. 3.75 stars."

[4.0] "Kind of surprised at the high rating here considering how overwhelmingly negative the reaction seems to have been elsewhere on the internet and in the arena itself. Don't get me wrong I love seeing the WWE fans stunned but I am just not sure this was the correct send off for 'the greatest of all time' bearing in mind how appallingly booked Cena's entire retirement run had been. The match itself was just OK. This version of Gunther is a shadow of his prime in my opinion and his powerbomb is just not good looking at all anymore. He is definitely worthy of beating Cena here, if not for Triple H's infuriating booking that is. Remember this is the same guy who tapped out to Jey Uso using his own move! It just felt flat, no post-match speech, small arena, Cena's whole character of never giving up GIVES UP but it did not come off as poetic to me. He was smiling as he tapped, content with his career? Yeah I get it, I just don't think it was the right call with the end result feeling depressing rather than a celebration of John Cena's career."

[8.0] "I want to speak from the heart because if I sat here and listed everything John Cena means to me, I'd be here all day. He's my childhood hero, the man who taught me "Never Give Up, " and his impact on my life is immeasurable. Because of that, I can't in good conscience rate his final match any lower than this. However, I have to be honest: I hated the result. I know, logically, passing the torch is the traditional way to go out. But seeing the man whose entire career was built on resilience, on fighting against all odds, just .. give up. It broke my heart. When he smiled at the camera right before tapping out, it was like he was telling us, "It's okay, it's over." And that just shattered me. I spent the entire match tearing up, and by the end, I was sobbing uncontrollably. Not just because he lost, but because of the finality of it all. The match itself wasn't a technical masterpiece, but it was an emotional rollercoaster. Gunther played the perfect monster heel. But that ending... it felt unnecessary. Did he really need to tap? Couldn't he have passed out fighting? It makes Gunther look like a beast, sure, but it felt like a cruel twist of the knife for fans who grew up worshipping Cena. Still, despite the heartbreak, I have to say: Thank you, Cena. Thank you for being the GOAT, the role model, the greatest to ever step foot in a WWE ring. I will never forget you. You will never be forgotten. There will never be another like you. Thank You Cena."

[8.0] "This match will be tough to rate man. Maybe I can get emotional? I don't know. It was the last time I ever watched a John Cena's match, for now long, it is over. This feeling is kinda strange, it is exactly like when someone close to you die. You can see a photo of you with that person, a video sharing a good moment with, but, it is over. The only feeling lasting are memories. With John Cena's retirement, it is the same. I can easily go on Youtube and choose hundreads or thousands of John Cena's matches. CM Punk, Triple H, AJ Styles, even some fucking Great Khali, I don't give a fuck. I will never watch a John Cena's match live again, because there will not be another one. I feel proud of being able to start watching him at my six years old and his ability and charisma made me the wrestling fan I am today. He is not my favorite wrestler anymore, but I need to celebrate how important he was for me. I don't feel bad for it, honestly. I understand, everything have a end in that life, even the good things. I feel happy for him actually, he had a retirement run, something that most wrestlers don't have the pleasure to (even knowing that his retirement run was pure DOGSHIT) and I completelly believe on him when he said that he gave the best of him. He loved that sport, so much. And he couldn't choose a last opponent better than Gunther. Easily one of the, if not THE best wrestler of the industry, someone that only had like, four single loses since he came into the main roster, over as fuck, old style heel, the perfect last opponent for him. The experience, besides anything that social media influencers will tell, was great. You can feel and see it was Cena's last big moment and he truly understood, this is not the time for tribute his opponents, he only did HIS moves, it was HIS moment, and the interaction with the crowd was great. The match was perfect? Of course not. Cena didn't shut the fuck up for a single point, he is too old and the chemistry with Gunther wasn't the perfect one. The ending? Pretty similar to how Bryan ended his career against Mox in certain way, because it was PERFECT. The legend being beaten up and hold during MINUTES into a Rear Naked Choke. Bryan passed out, the storyline there was completelly more brutal than that one. Gunther have nothing against Cena, he just wanted to make the hero of everyone tap out. And he did. And it was amazing. At the moment of his career, he notices that don't make any sense keep fighting now. It was his last match, what can he get beating Gunther? He spend over twenty years without giving up, I hope people will keep that in mind, instead of just remembering this and saying "Oh he fucked up his message" or any bullshit related. Just get the point, he don't need to fight anymore, because...his career is over. Thank you, Cena."

[4.0] "This really had so much potential. The crowd was so into it. But after the clothesline and sleeper hold spam it just got old. Then the ending was completely anti climatic. It's not that Cena lost, it's more wtf was that awkward tapout? Right after he just held his arm up to show he wasn't passing out? Just kinda odd. There were good and fun spots in this one but it was just really slow and the ending was weird. Doesn't give any emotion. Doesn't make you feel happy or sad, just confused."

[9.0] "I hated the fact that Cena tapped out but I must say the actual match was really good. There was great drama and intensity here and the spots were cool. Gunther is going to have major heel heat on him now and that's going to be satisfying to see. Overall great match with an unfortunate ending."

[5.0] "A somewhat underwhelming end to Cena's phenomenal retirement tour. I think the entire build of the show, especially the weird tension between canon and non-canon events, started this match on a shaky foundation. The odd vibes were brutally exacerbated by the odd contrast between Cena's campiness and Gunther's role as the severe person in the building. I appreciated the storytelling, but it honestly felt at times like it centered Gunther in a way that felt out of place with the rest of the show and Cena's performance. As for the parts I did like, I thought the ending was rather convincing, and the first time it really felt like a cohesive performance, and I liked the idea of Cena tapping out in a way that felt more like him calling his own career than it did like him truly giving up."

[9.0] "As good as it gets There's nothing objectively wrong with this match, but that doesn't mean it wasn't frustrating at times. Cena is clearly past his physical prime, yet the match was great from a storytelling perspective for me. The entire match is built around one simple question . Will Cena submit or not? If Cena doesn't submit, then nothing is really gained from the match. At the very least, what we got was historic heat for Gunther, and that alone justifies the outcome. The storytelling was excellent overall, but it became stupid in the middle. Before the AA through the table, Gunther should have been torturing Cena. Instead, he did something incredibly dumb. he started playing to the crowd. That completely breaks the psychology. After the sleeper hold, after all the punishment Gunther applied and Cena kept escaping, what do you do next? You don't go taunting the audience that's bad booking. That entire sequence could have been built far better in multiple ways. The ending, however, was great in almost every sense. Personally, Cena should have passed out while smiling, not tapped out. That would've been the perfect visual. But I understand why they chose the submission it creates maximum heat for Gunther. **** 1/2"

[10.0] "The only match in over a decade to make me cry. I haven't felt this way since I was in third grade, watching Cena take that L to Bray Wyatt in a steel cage. Some will argue the moves were boring, but I'd argue it was perfect. Watching Cena realize he no longer had the strength to fully keep up anymore in the end sequence after doing everything he could was hard breaking but also amazing to see for Gunther. The slow pace may not be for everybody but I felt it was needed to truly absorb the crowd environment and the reality that this is the last match. Couldn't have asked for much more. 11/10."

[10.0] "This was a beautifully structured match & a great way to end things for John Cena. Crowd was beyond white hot which made the match that much special & Gunther being the big bad dominant villain played his part wonderful. It's truly poetic having Cena tap out his last match & I honestly viewed it more as John simply letting go & moving on. I do wish his retirement was done better but this match was excellent."

[8.0] "Gutes Match. Gunther hat gut geliefert meiner Meinung nach. Es waren aber wieder mal zu viele finisher die aber trotzdem irgendwie gepasst haben. Das Cena abklopft war der Schocker des Abends. Ehre für Gunther Cena letzter Gegner zu werden da merkt man das Triple H sehr viel auf ihn setz In der Zukunft."

[5.0] "Cena turns back the clock and in this case it's not doing cool moves but really going back to 5 moves of doom Cena which works brilliantly with Gunther. Gunther always brings out the best in his opponents and god if Cena worked this way for most of the year the retirement tour would have been much better. Kind of unfortunate that Cena didn't show color in this, but that's more of a minor complaint compared to the biggest issue with this match, the finish. I actually like the outcome and it makes complete sense, but how it was executed was quite strange. Cena did a whole smile and then tapped out right as he was going to pass out. I think they should have just gone the typical tapping out from an extreme amount of pain route, maybe blood would have gone a long way to show that Cena couldn't have taken anymore. As it is, it's a solid match but it's got a weirdly executed ending."

"I really loved all of this. They worked an old school match as best as they could (given that every main event nowadays is just finisher spam for 10min -> finish) with a result that made sense. But more than that, I loved that you could clearly tell both men were having a great time doing this. You could clearly see them talking to each other throughout - didn't care, because I enjoyed that too. I just liked everything about this, and honestly I expected to be disappointed going into it. The post-match was as heartwarming as can be without going overboard - the entire roster came to the ring, with captains Punk and Cody entering and kneeling in the corner like little brothers, telling John they love him, giving him their belts, and making him go soften up the crowd. I gut-laughed at the nuclear heat Triple H received anytime he approached John or was shown on screen. Out of all the unpopular creative decisions this year, I believe this one was 100% the right one. I'm happy that John got to do things the way he wished and that he got to put over Gunther, who is probably the best all-around worker WWE has atm. Alot of Cena's final matches involved this sort of meta, fourth-wall angle where he would play directly to the crowd as himself (refusing to do the Five Knuckle at WM, the tribute match with AJ Styles at Crown Jewel, axing the heel run in five minutes before Summerslam) and while this isn't really "wrestling" or "kayfabe" in the traditional sense, it's something else entirely that I think is valid since it's not like the company themselves are trying too hard to keep anything under wraps. Cena's entire retirement run was this strange fantasy booking that not only didn't fit with the rest of the show at all, but also hadn't been done ever in the history of the business. I think a lot of it was bad, some of it was good, some of it was excellent. I'd put this final match in the last category. This was my second-favorite WWE event all year, next to the all-women's Evolution PPV. Good luck to you in everything you do beyond this, John."

[8.0] "As a wrestling match this was pretty glacial but as a peice of storytelling in the ring I loved it. Both these guys have had far better matches but the story they were telling here of Gunther being the monster who is gonna do something Cena hasnt done in two decades. Make him tap out is great. And Cena who has become very limited in the ring now (he was never actually exactly Bret Hart in the ring but he just spams his five moves of doom here) but it worked for the story. Cena is finshed he knows he is finshed he has had the most successful run in wrestling history and he knows time has ran out and he is at peace with it. Cena was never one of my favourites I was one of those attitude era kids who didnt warm to Cena at all. I just found him way to cheesy especially after sitting through Stone Cold's run who was the polar opposite. Even though Cena had lots of matches of his I loved. I never really liked him. It wasnt until the last few years like so many where we grew to appreciate him. I am one of those fans who stand in the back. Nod my head to the man and quietly depart. The ending is going to be divisive for some time and the fans in the building rejected it but the melancholia of the ending is actually perfect in alot of ways. Cena spent his entire career winning (remember CENAWINSLOL) but here at his last stand he knows his time is over and knows he cant beat this monster. So he taps. Alot of people are gonna hate this ending. I loved it cause I spent most of my fandom disliking Cena for not losing(his booking is one of the reasons I stopped watching altogether) but seeing the invincible hero being mortal after all works for me. I am glad the fans booed Triple H though. He deserves that. Cena's retirement run has been a total mess. A mix of great matches and moments with terrible matches(wtf was that Brock match all.about) and baffling moments (the heel run is gonna be studied as one of the most baffling incomprehensible heel runs of all time) but I am glad he went out on a high note here."

[10.0] "thought this was masterful to be honest. just from a profile perspective this was a match which was always going to be good, the big, bad, evil trying to kill superman is wrestling 101 and this doesn't stray far from that simple formula. gunther does everything in his power to kill him, cena does everything in his power to stay alive, gunther is just far too powerful in the end. cena's hope spots are excellent, some of the best babyface wrestling i've seen in a minute and gunther come across like a monster. i'm so so happy that gunther got this moment, 2025 has not been kind to him but he's ended 2025 once again as the best male wrestler in the company"

[9.0] "I thought this was a really good match. The man who never gives up finally gave up, and that was the story throughout. Gunther wore him down to the point where the aging Cena just couldn't live up to his moniker anymore. The perfect time to call it quits. Great work on the sleeper sequences and great suspense throughout. I went in not knowing how it would end, but they picked just about the best way to do it."

[7.0] "[3, 5 Stars] The match was okay in the ring, and I liked the ending with Cena tapping out, but unfortunately, the end of the show was very disappointing. What I was expecting from this match was the post-match emotions, and I think it's completely crazy that Cena didn't get the opportunity to do a long promo to end his career. John Cena is a legend, he's my childhood hero and the hero of many people, and he deserved much more than a vulgar video that was three times worse than the edits flooding social media, but oh well. On the other hand, I hated the crowd's reaction with their "Bullshit" chants and boos for Triple H. Yes, Hunter deserves to be booed, but this wasn't the time or place for it. So, since Cena didn't get the reaction I think he deserved, I'm going to speak up. Thank you, John, for sacrificing yourself for so many years despite the criticism. I myself criticized Cena for a long time, but he always ignored it and worked like crazy to improve the company he works for. Thank you for making me laugh, for making me cry, for making me angry, and above all, thank you for giving me this passion for wrestling."

[5.0] "I don't think there's a single wrong way to feel about this match. Both ends of the opinion spectrum are perfectly valid for this, which is very rare these days. I can't really argue against either way people have been looking at this decision and match as a whole. If you think it was a poetic way to go out, I'm not going to say that's wrong. If you think this ending doesn't befit a legend like Cena, I won't say that's wrong either. I lean more towards the former, but I totally see why people in the latter camp are frustrated. If I leaned more towards the latter, I'd still totally get why people in the former camp were so satisfied. I think it was that smile that told me everything. John knew his body just couldn't take anymore, and the tap-out was him saying to Gunther "you got the better of me and I've got nothing left to give in this ring". If he didn't smile, I'd probably feel very different about this. Overall, I'll give it a 5 because of how divisive the decision is and the match not being particularly amazing in-ring up to that point. Loved the post-match with everyone coming out, Cody and Punk letting him celebrate with titles one last time, and the final video package featuring Vince's return. Also was hilarious to see HHH get booed out the building, although I don't get why he was laughing when he hugged John on the apron. Congratulations Cena on a generational career. 1818-444-58 in 2320 total matches, 17x world champ, 6x midcard champ, 4x tag champ, 2x Rumble winner, MITB win, 6x PWI Wrestler of the Year, 1x OVW champ, 1x OVW tag champ, WON HOFer, 5 straight WON Most Charismatic wins, 11x Slammy winner, 2nd-longest face run in WWE (R. Mysterio), ranked 4th on SI's Greatest WWE Wrestlers Ever list, 5x Feud of the Year winner, 5x Match of the Year winner, 2x Best Promos winner, and even a GWR for most Make-A-Wish granted wishes (double the next highest)."

[5.0] "This was a solid John Cena-style main event up until that lameass ending. You got your table bump, Cena played all the hits, even the horrible leg drop off the top. But that ending. It's not just that he lost, it's how he lost. Cena just didn't have the emotional range to pull that off. It felt like a slap in the face. An FU (get it) to the fans that paid thousands to be there and the ones watching at home."

[8.0] "Pretty good match all things considered. Gunther, as expected, was a great opponent for Cena, and this is definitely one of the best matches that have came out of this retirement run. Can't imagine anyone else in the company could have given him a better retirement match, given the ending."

[9.0] "I don't even watch WWE anymore and I had to see what the commotion was all about. I think Cena did the right thing to put Gunther over and went out on his shield."

[10.0] "This scene was more than a simple loss. Gunther annihilated Cena not through a grueling battle, but with utter humiliation and absolute dominance. At the height of his glory, Cena was the symbol of unstoppable resilience--someone who always rose from the ashes of defeat. But this time, he was simply crushed. There was no shining moment of comeback, no display of iron will. He looked "finished, " an image that directly contradicted the very core of the "Never Give Up" message he had spent three decades building. For Gunther, this was a crushing declaration of power. He appeared not just as a rival, but as a history-rewriting force. However, the method is problematic. The "passing of the torch" in professional wrestling works best when the veteran, at the peak of his dignity and respect, makes way for the new star after a fierce and closely fought war. Here, the torch was lit not with respect, but in the flames of a symbol's destruction. For a fan who grew up with Cena's philosophy, this evokes not a sense of tribute but a painful erasure. Gunther could have become a greater legend by defeating a strong Cena, not by annihilating a vulnerable Cena."

[9.0] "Despite Cena being as awful as he's always been with his feeble offence and jabber-jaw foghorn spot calling, this was an unforgettable send off. The pacing, built around Gunther's monstrous cut-offs and Cena's (false) hope-inspiring comebacks was absolutely perfect and I'm so glad this electric crowd got their hearts broken. Pro wrestling needs to do that more often ****1/4"

[1.0] "There's a way to have Cena lose (or even tap out) and make it feel like a great finish. And it all comes down to the match leading up to it. Nothing surprising here at all. Utterly predictable, lack-luster, and unimaginative. Ample ground to do something special here following a long year and a long build at the end of a long career. And for what? Really underwhelming. Cena gives us his five moves of doom repeatedly. Gunther just kicks out and slaps on a sleeper a few times until Cena eventually taps. I have no problem with Cena losing. I don't even have problem with him tapping. But that alone doesn't make it a good match. And given the circumstances here, that being all we're given feels like a massive missed opportunity. Good post-match send off."

[5.0] "Completely understood why Gunther had to win, but overall the match as a whole felt incredibly stale. The majority of the match having Cena stuck in a submission hold and Gunther yelling at the ref that Cena should give up."

[9.0] "I was excited for this match when the tournament was announced and when I saw Gunther was in it, hoping he would be the one to win this because Gunther is not only my favorite of the wrestlers in WWE today under the age of 40 and feel he really deserves this after some underwhelming booking decisions in regards to Gunther, I feel the story was an easy layup for the two to share the ring together and tell the perfect story to end John Cena's career. Seeing Gunther's promo from Monday was all I needed from this feud and it sold me like an auctioneer. Watching John going for the hits as Gunther tries to lay in his offense as stiff as he can was exactly what we needed and was required, the crowd investment made this all the more better where you can really feel they care for ever little moment in this match, having the story revolve around Gunther be the one to submit John Cena on his way out (fun fact: he has been submitted by Kurt Angle, Chris' Benoit & Jericho) was exactly what I wanted and was satisfied. Sure, some could claim this was an underwhelming finish, but I would wager it was the perfect way to go out, Cena knew his time was up and was only then for him to finally submit and help someone who needed "the rub" from a legend in Cena, can't say he isn't selfish. Now that I got that out of the way, I might as well get into my tribute and I'll try to keep it short. John Cena was someone who was one of my first favorites like many, and like many I started getting tired of WWE booking him at the top when I wanted other guys to get their shine (which, in retrospect, wasn't his fault). But once Cena started stepping down, I began to love him again and started to realize we took him for granted thanks to McMahon. Now, here I am, 25 years of age crying my eyes out that a man who does staged combat in jorts is finished. From the bottom of my heart, thank you John Cena, thank you for the years of making my childhood awesome, the many classic matches and moments you've given us, you are for damn sure going down in history as one of the greatest of all time, I'm gonna miss watching you wrestle, so much."

[10.0] "Holy effin shit, this is the pinnacle of John Cena's wrestling career. Gunther laid out a plain and straightforward thesis on how this match would go, and delivered to the maximum. This match was properly stiff, I haven't seen Cena work this snug period. The story of the match was the future catching up to scene, and while he had near infinite hope, Gunther had no mercy. That ending submission sequence is one of the best conclusions to a match that didn't need a big spot, the tension is palpable. This felt like one of Gunther's NXT UK matches in layout, and Cena played the part of a Tyler Bate incredibly. This is a must watch, the best modern (2020s) retirement match."

[10.0] "The end of the road happened here, thanks Cena for everything, with a match that was definitely great, Cena gave his everything to give a hell of a match and Gunther became a top villain of all time on today's WWE, just like some others were, Gunther is on a new level that I hope has a out of this world push, the result can be discussed, but I loved it, he gave a last push to Gunther by tapping out. 10/10 [*****]"

"Very poetic ending. Loved the shot of Cena accepting his fate before the submission. I understand why some people found it disappointing, but I thought it was the only fitting way for the match to end."

[10.0] "Most of the fans will never forget this match. Professional Wrestling destroyed Sports Entertainment, Gunther made Cena gave up in his final match. It cant be more believable if you really think of it. Thank You John Cena for serving us all this years. You will forever stay in my heart. We can see you and you did it the best way possible."

[10.0] "An absolutely beautiful ending to the greatest story wrestling has ever had to tell us- the career of John Cena. This was flawlessly executed and will be talked about forever. If you find somebody whining about how bad this was, it might be safe to question their intelligence; but it's imperative to question their knowledge of professional wrestling."

[0.0] "Possibly the worst outcome and opponent for John cenas last ever. The match itself was actually going quite alright until that tragic ending and I think the live crowd spoke for how the majority of the fans felt worldwide witnessing that ending. It's quite funny that people will now say that Gunther is the man who retired cena when really thats actually not true, it was cena who retired cena as he announced it himself over a year ago that he would be retiring at the end of 2025, Gunther just had the privilege to be his last opponent, so it wasn't even you traditional career vs title match or if you lose you retire kind of stipulations they use for retirements so there was no need to have your greatest ever superstar betray his one slogan that he uses for 20 years and that's never giving up, I feel like the only people happy with this are the iwc basement dwellers who were ejaculating at the idea of Gunther tapping out Cena, good for them they got to their boring ass Gunther fulfil their little dreams at the expense of everyone else"

[4.0] "So there he goes, the legend of John Cena ends probably in the most expected way for him to go out. But it was also unexpected because that was the lamest and funniest tap out he could've done. John Cena is natural born comedian. The pacing of this was really weird, with Walt here I was expecting a bit of a slow burn into big bombs but we never really got that, it was like; heat, big bomb, heat, big bomb, big bomb, move spam. Like these dudes kept doing the same moves over and over and got really boring after a while, it would've helped if WALTER threw those lines with the stiffness but he brother'd out Cena on his final match, which I personally think is stupid as hell. If you're actually gonna retire in wrestling, you should get the shit beaten out of you one last time. Hell he should've bladed because Cena's always been awesome at gushing blood. Just what a stupid way for this to end, Walt spams the sleeper like five times and then Cena meekly taps out, no distress, no passion, no nothing, just a smile and that's it. That sucks ass man. The post match afterwards too, yeesh. It's not necessarily a bad bad match but it was really boring, and a sad end to one of my all time favorites retiring. Two Stars out of Five."

[3.0] "At this point Cena has no mid level offense and it hurts the match a great deal. It is not like Gunther puts in the most inspired performance of his career, but Cena just throwing bombs from the get go and this going more than twenty minutes doesn't make for the greatest sense of escalation. Cena's attempt at the sleeper was fun, but his crowd work felt a bit flat given the layout. Complete lack of shine and straight bombastic comeback didn't feel justified. A shame that he's had this bad of a final year, but he hasn't been anywhere near great for seven years."

[0.0] "The decision to have Cena submit is not bold, not meaningful, and not respectful--it is fundamentally wrong. In a match framed as a farewell, submission carries a finality that completely undercuts the idea of resilience that defined his entire career. This isn't about protecting Gunther or creating a shocking moment; it's about misunderstanding what this match was supposed to represent. Cena giving up rewrites the emotional language of the moment, turning a goodbye into a defeat that lingers for all the wrong reasons. Long after the match itself is forgotten, this choice will remain as a reminder of a farewell mishandled."

[0.0] "There was a real sense of importance surrounding this match, with the presentation and pacing clearly aiming for something historic. Gunther worked a disciplined, methodical style while Cena leaned into grit and survival, making the struggle feel earned. That said, the decision to have Cena submit in his supposed final match is incredibly misguided. Rather than feeling bold or meaningful, it echoes the same shock-value thinking that hurt wrestling before, most notably ending the Streak. The finish completely reframes the match in the worst way possible, draining the emotional resonance and leaving fans focused on the decision instead of the performance."

[0.0] "This was meant to be a goodbye, a moment of reflection and respect for a career that defined an era. Instead, it echoes the same hollow shock that followed Undertaker losing the Streak. Just like then, the decision overshadows everything that came before it. Cena submitting in his final match doesn't feel meaningful or brave, it feels wrong. The match had heart, gravity, and the chance for a dignified ending, but that choice drains the emotion and replaces it with disbelief. What should have been a lasting farewell becomes a moment remembered for the wrong reasons."

[8.0] "About the best way Cena could've gone out. He really tapped into his classic Super Cena act, giving everything he had and fighting till the end. The spectacle and emotion is what really made this match. Gunther did fantastic battering Cena and wearing him down, he hit hard moves and Cena fought back with his classic moveset. Crowd were absolutely amazing, though a slight negative is them cheering some of the wrestlers who have...let's say...made themselves out to not be the best people (Mark Henry and RVD, I haven't forgotten your comments about the Raja Jackson situation). Ending was great as Gunther locked in the sleeper many times to try and get Cena to quit. I think I would've preferred Cena to pass out rather than tap out, but it is what it is. Anyway, thanks a lot to John Cena for all the great matches and promos over the years. I'll be straight up honest and say that I don't particularly like the person himself outside of the ring for a fair few reasons, but the character he portrayed will be one I'll always remember."

[10.0] "John Cena vs. Gunther was a flawless main event and a perfect final match for one of the greatest of all time. Everything about it felt right--the atmosphere was electric, the chemistry was far better than many expected, and the story told inside the ring was powerful and deeply symbolic. Cena, the embodiment of 'Never Give Up, ' being forced to submit to Gunther's sleeper was a masterstroke, creating a beautiful parallel to the end of his career: the moment he realizes it's time to let go and allow the next generation to rule. It was emotional, meaningful, and executed to perfection. In the process, Gunther emerged unmistakably as the ultimate mega-heel of WWE and arguably all of professional wrestling. There was no better way this story could have ended. Thank You Cena"

[10.0] "Thank you Cena, this was an absolutely incredible experience and match, brought me to tears, I'm so happy to witness this moment and will remember it forever, and even if this wasn't Cena final match it was still a great one, with great comeback spots that got me every time, and an incredible ending with Cena smileing and tapping out! And for one final time, THANK YOU CENA"

[5.0] "Any match that ends with the crowd chanting "you fucked up" at the booker cannot be considered a success. The first half of the match was very slow and the second half was spent spamming finishers. The crowd did a lot to bring life to this match and they deserved a lot better than the terrible finish that WWE gave them."

[10.0] "John Cena's career ends in the most poetic way possible. He fought, he fought as hard as he could, but he doesn't have that supercena in him anymore. He gave up, the one thing he said he would never do. Gunther made him do it. A beautiful babyface performance from Cena. And a special, perfect, heel performance from Gunther. Loved everything about this. Thank you, Cena."

[6.0] "A critical and emotional divide perfectly captured here. In a vacuum, the match itself was objectively good: clear storytelling, strong crowd investment, and Gunther's typical mastery on full display. The issue isn't the in-ring work, which was well-structured and effectively executed. The controversy--and legitimate frustration--stems entirely from the long-term booking decision."

[6.0] "Cena was truly awful in the first half of this match. Sloppy and lighter than a feather. For some reason Cena also decided he is going to start falling for the bump early in every Gunther lariat. This match was at its best when Gunther was in control and its worst whenever Cena had some hope spots. What this match had going for it was a very loud crowd with an old-school feel backing the babyface 100%. We rarely get that anymore so it was fun here and Gunther did a great job being a heel. This match is really going to come down to your mileage when it comes to Cena obviously. To me, he has never been what I want to see in wrestling and he doesn't reach any better level than he did 10 years ago outside of when he was selling the work by Gunther. He just really has never been impressive and he wasn't here either. The AA through the table wasn't even good. They have gimmicked that collapsing table so much that it doesn't have the same intensity it once did. Best moment of the match was Gunther's kick out from the middle rope AA. I liked the finish and think rightfully, it did a lot for Gunther. Hopefully WWE can use this for him but I have my doubts."

[3.0] "Maybe I'm just falling out of love with wrestling but I think this was such a cop out. Gunther threw the punch TWICE! (two times! ) after being hit with two shoulder blocks, if anyone he would be the one guy not to be stupid enough to do that, but apart from that massive pet pieve I have with that spot, the rest also wasn't very good, you could constantly see them calling spots, moving perfectly into position for every move (the table spot being the worst offender, or was that when Gunther started laughing while on the top rope? ). I loved the ending spot though and the constant lariats at the beginning. All in all we got there in the end, but at what cost?"

"This face off is the proof Gunther really can carry a match with anyone. Perfect storytelling, perfect ending. That John Cena stare while tapping out tells the whole story. Thank you, champ."

[8.0] "im glad this match did not get review bombed due to the negative reaction. This ruled. They told the exact story they wanted to tell. Cena and gunther both did great here."

[8.0] "For some baffling reason, this match and its finish has caused great controversy across the internet. The match was really good as the veteran Cena was made to look like a complete underdog against Gunther and the finish was icing on the cake. It made totally sense that after 20 years of never giving up, John Cena would do the unthinkable and tap because he knew it was over for him. This adds a another notch to belt of Gunther as WWE continues to build him as a dominant force."

[7.0] "[3.5*] That was a good match. Not as good as the ratings tell you but still good. It's just different that's why it's a little controversial overall. I mean I get it if it's a perfect match for you. I totally get. For me personally? I'm seeing the full picture not just the match. Gunther lost to someone called jey uso and his not a wrestler in my book he lost to this guy by his power point "Sleeper Hold" that was an absolute awful match that ruined Gunther's character for me. Cuz it doesn't make and sense for him to lost like that to a guy that doesn't make any sense for him to even wining the royal rumble. That was ab absolute awful decision. That will hurt Gunther A LOT unfortunately "In case we've seen in the Reality view" , , in terms of the match it was good the ideas were clear and almost well executed. The story was obvious and the audience were into it so much. Which it made it even better. Gunter is a Master and that's not a new thing for the king of wrestling genuinely. But again it's not a match problem it's the booking throughout the year what hurt this and what will hurt other Gunter matches unfortunately. And I can't Deny it. Cuz that what they've represented to us all. I love wrestling and I'm gonna treat Wrestling 'seriously' Cuz I Can't Enjoy it in other ways. And Again, with All due respect , really."

[8.0] "John Cena's retirement match. With Gunther as his final opponent, this was shaping up to be a classic Cena match where he works as the underdog against a dominant heel, and that's exactly what it was. The crowd was great, they were fully invested in everything that happened and helped make this feel special. Gunther winning was the expected outcome, and Cena tapping out to put over Gunther as strong as possible made sense. I understand what Cena was going for with the smile and meek tap out, he was accepting that it was over and time to move on. However, after a poorly booked retirement run, a flat finish like that wasn't a satisfying conclusion. That being said, the match as a whole is very good. 8/10"

[10.0] "Since I'm seeing a lot of criticism regarding the finish, let me just say that I firmly believe this was John Cena's call and that he chose to go out like that to put Gunther over harder. Remember, Cena almost never tapped out. A pass-out would've been more predictable, but him choosing to save his final tap-out for his final match puts Gunther over so much harder. It fits with the story too; Super Cena kept trying but Cena's body ended up failing in the end and he smartly recognized that and saved himself. This was one of the most emotional matches of the year. Thank You John Cena. 5 Stars. *****"

[9.0] "I've been deciding on weather or not to give this match a 10/10, it for sure left me withouth a breath in the end, and probably made me feel more hopeless than many other matches I've watched before, but this was special, the aura around this match really carried both gunther and cena, and the smile before the tap out just broke my heart, this match really is a testifying document on how much wrestling can impact our view of the world, I really just feel old now, Thanks john, thanks for bringing me here"

[9.0] "Yes, John Cena's in-ring career is over, in a melancholic way, but with a clear message not to dwell on the past and to look ahead to the good things to come in the future. If you pay close attention, the whole show revolved around this mantra. The opponent was perfect; Gunther is the best and most credible wrestler to have the honor of ending John Cena's career, as well as being one of the few capable of giving him a great farewell match (which happened). Regarding the controversial result, I wanted to see John Cena win, but the way the tap out was done was even poetic, with Cena implicitly saying that he decided to give up by admitting that "My time is up" and "He's time is now, " recognizing Gunther as a superior opponent and closing the entire "Never Give Up" cycle. Of course, the retirement tour had more mistakes than successes, but now all that remains is to appreciate, applaud, and thank John Cena for all these years and the incredible career and legacy that this icon of the industry left us. THANK YOU JOHN (pro wrestling's greatest and true hero) [****1/2]."

"I'd give this match an 8/10. Even though the booking was pretty disappointing, the match itself was very good and both performers did really well. At least John Cena's last match was high quality, even if the wrong person won."

[10.0] "Thank you Cena, crowd makes this match feel bigger, the "fuck you gunther", "don't give up", "asshole" chants were amazing and the ending with Gunther making Cena tap out was amazing, with the crowd being dead silent making it so much better."

"Thank you Cena. I loved the match, and I think the final with the smile and the consequent tap out were beautifully executed. Props to Gunther too because he matched perfectly the expectations and the levels of this match."

[10.0] "All the crazy gooners going off on Twitter make no sense to me, this was an amazing send off and even though I am critical of Tko/triple H era of wwe, this was awesome and poetically beautiful ending to a legend in the business, we got sting Bryan and cenas retirement run all within a year ? , happy to be a wrestling fan, but also this is so good to elevate cena as the end of his career and also elevate Gunther as the next big villain in wwe aka the new legend killer of sorts which I am really liking, as Gunther/WALTER is one of my favs to ever do it"

[10.0] "Thank you cena. By the way thats reaction of crowds was the same like when Brock Lesnar beat The Undertaker on WM. Thats smile from Cena will be iconic."

[9.0] "Fantastic match, and I really enjoyed Gunther looking as dominant as ever. My only gripe is I wish Cena had sold the choke like he was going to die rather than smiling. But other than that, I have no complaints. Amazing character work from both guys tonight."

[2.0] "The character of John Cena was completely assassinated and humiliated tonight. This would be like if Steve Austin denounced alcohol or Undertaker started cracking jokes. I guess "never give up" means nothing now. I've tried to defend Triple H but he's had a horrible year. It may be time for a change. I'm sure Cena had a say but it's your job as the head booker to make the right decisions, This should have been a celebration of John Cena, but it felt like a mourning instead. I am very nervous at how the retirements of legends like Randy Orton, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and potentially Chris Jericho will look now."

"This is what wrestling is all about for me. The silenced crowd followed by Symphony No. 9 was just perfect. WWE did the harder, riskier move and that was upsetting each and every fan who believed. This feels like the first time in the HHH era, where he has actually put his balls on the table. It would have been so easy to let Cena ride off into the sunset with all fans happy, however I truly believe, putting over Gunther here, will create a chain of events for the next few years to come. We now have that "Big Bad Villain" and we can just hope that creative does everything in their power to not mess up Gunther's booking. All in all, a great match, followed by a shocking "Lesnar, streak ending" type of close. No, it's not what majority wanted on the night, but in this pantomime that is wresting, my god we need more shocks and surprises.. Thank you John!"

[9.0] "A beautifully constructed swan song for John Cena. Stripped of all the online drama and noise, this is simply Cena at his storytelling peak, turning back the clock for one last, emotionally resonant bout. Every move, every beat of the match feels intentional, designed to highlight not just the physicality of the contest but the journey of a career that has spanned over two decades. Cena's final match sees him give everything, both physically and narratively, culminating in the poetic moment of tapping out; "Never Give Up" finally conceding in a way that feels both earned and deeply fitting. Gunther emerges from this bout as a dominant, credible threat, his offense both brutal and precise, providing a perfect foil to Cena's resilient, crowd-pleasing style. The match works on multiple levels: it gives Gunther a major career boost while simultaneously preserving Cena's legacy, a delicate balance rarely achieved in modern wrestling. And even surviving the Attitude Adjustment through the announce table (possibly the best one ever executed, due to the gross landing Gunther takes and the way the camera quickly zooms out). What truly stands out is the nuance of the final stretch. Cena rallies the crowd with his signature charisma, selling near-falls with heart-stopping intensity, surviving the powerbomb. It reminds me a bit of WrestleMania 28, and SummerSlam 2021, with Cena trying to go for a moral victory, and this match gives it a beautiful subversion with Super Cena returning one more time. The final moments, where Cena smiles through his surrender, are hauntingly beautiful: a man who has inspired generations, finally acknowledging the passing of the torch without bitterness, only grace. It's a perfect blend of drama, physical storytelling, and emotional closure, showcasing why Cena has been a fan favourite for two decades. Every sequence tells a story, every fall has weight, and the match as a whole serves as a reminder of Cena's incredible ability to make every moment in the ring feel significant. Without question, it stands as the best match of his retirement run, by a pretty wide margin; a fitting farewell that honours both the past and the future of professional wrestling. ****1/2"

[8.0] "It's interesting to see such an old school match in terms of pacing after some of the high-flying. Of course finisher spamming is quite modern, and that was one thing I disliked about this match. The AA/FU, the table variation, the multitude variation, and the avalanche variation are all passé now. Also Cena had his arms inverted on his sleeper attempt. His lower arm was over the perpendicular arm, where it should go under. The other thing I didn't like was tapping out... I guess it's more thought-provoking, but I would have rather seen him pass out. Why recover from the arm-drop pass-out check just to tap a few moments later?"

[9.0] "A very good storytelling match of can John Cena turn back the clock one final time to deliver a John Cena classic against one of the best in the game, "The Ring General" Gunther. John Cena, who's out of his prime, is giving one more go at one of the best in the business in Gunther. This match was filled with John Cena callbacks, seeing Super Cena for the final time, and seeing him wow us like he always did. Gunther was a masterful heel in this match, giving in with the crowd and being the chickenshit heel he has been. John Cena hit an FU through the announce table, an Avalanche FU, and hit his signature comeback all for one final time. As the match progressed, we saw Gunther weaken and dominate John Cena. When John Cena was in the sleeper hold for a very long time, grasping for air, and when he knew his time was up, he gave one last smile and tapped out -- in the first time in 20 years, John Cena tapped out in his final match as Gunther managed to do what he told us he was going to do: make John Cena tap. As he lay on the mat, everyone came out -- from creative, backstage personnel, and the wrestlers. I loved it when CM Punk and Cody Rhodes came in and gave their belts to John Cena to raise these titles one last time as he hit all four corners in the ring. The visual of John Cena watching his tribute video as everyone praises one of the greatest was a sight to see. John Cena was bowing, giving respect to the fans who loved him for the past 23 years. John Cena then did what many wrestlers do when they retire: he left his armbands and shoes to leave the ring, and walking his way to the back was an emotional sight to witness. As he turned around one final time, he thanked everyone again, then faded away in the closing shot. We don't come across wrestlers like this very often, but I'll tell you this: we will never see someone like John Cena again. The 17-time World Champion now rides off into the sunset on his own terms as he officially retires. June 27th, 2002 - December 13th, 2025 -- a long 23-year career comes to an end. One thing I want to say is Thank You, John Cena, for the childhood and adulthood memories you created for me. Enjoy retirement because we all will miss you. If you want some, come get some. The career of John Cena has officially closed. Who'll now take the grasp ring and make their name next?"

[8.0] "I was there live and it was probably my favorite first person experience to any sports show. I love cena man and he went out on an incredible match. Maybe a little bit more "epic" spots could have been included but I was thoroughly entertained. Gunther played the big bad heel role to perfection as well. Unfortunately everyone is only gonna remember the finish. To put it blankly I am fine with what they were trying to do, HOWEVER execution is always key. The finish and a lot of current WWE kinda reminds me of the last season of Game of Thrones. All the pieces fall into what you'd expect or at least where the narrative was going, but how they get there is completely rushed and sometimes PIVOTS into nonsensical areas (Jey Uso tapping Gunther and Cenas heel run after Chamber). It's fine for Cena to tap but that needs to happen in a blood feud. You can't build that up in a single match with no heat other than the fact it's Cenas last dance. The final spot can't just be Gunther getting him in a sleeper hold for 5 minutes. After a certain while it lost its luster and dragged out when it should have been a series of tension culminating to its final crescendo. For how much this current era wants to be mainstream, the former melodrama in moments such as "I'm sorry I love you, " just aren't there anymore. There missing a foundational piece to the puzzle where iconic moments are becoming fewer and fewer in between. The finish kinda just felt like it happened and now we move on, whereas there was potential for Cenas tap to be etched in stone. I still really enjoyed this match and think it was a good way to cap off Cenas illustrious career. One that has impacted me and millions of others in so many ways. Thank you Cena. ****1/4."

[6.0] "This match didn't really do it for me. It was carried by the big fight feel of it being Cenas last ever match and the energy from the crowd. I think it was obvious Cena was taking the loss but to tap out leaves a bitter taste and is a baffling decision to me. The crowd reaction to HHH after the match speaks volumes and the most memorable part of this main event was the emotional video package afterwards."

"Probably one of the most emotional I have ever gotten watching a wrestling match. When cena tapped out at the end it felt like such a shock that the entire arena went silent. Thank you John for the memories and Gunther hopefully can move forward with honor and use the GIGANTIC heel heat he has from this."

[9.0] "Fantastic atmosphere and a really, really great match. Cena postured a bit too much to the crowd during the match for my liking, but I liked the finish. Some folks not seeing a tap in his finale as apropos is actually quite surprising to me. I felt it completed the story arc of his career perfectly."

[10.0] "A close to perfect end to John Cena's career against a perfect opponent. John Cena(as super cena) finally taps out not because he has given up but because he is at ease with it being the end. While his final run has been mixed, there has been a great mix of him still having the fight of big match John but also being humanised and this was the perfect example."

[5.0] "This match is the perfect example of how Cena's run has failed. Once again, congratulations Paul for giving us a bad match from start to finish. It's downright disrespectful. Seriously, they actually dared to destroy a catchphrase and a character. Right to the very end they've crapped all over John, right to the end, with every single choice they made. Just get lost, Paul."

"Main Event Gunther vs Cena oh my that was really good fight Gunther was here too destroy Cena and he destroyed old Cena and yes it was a good Main Event cause' Cena srsly doesn't need that victory 10/10"

[8.0] "An excellent match to end the GOAT's career. He smiled, at peace with everything he had achieved in this business, and gave up, allowing the next generation to take centre stage. Just the way he would have wanted. Thank You Cena."

[8.0] "I saw a lot of people complaning about this match. What they were expecting? Superman finally got humanized. I feel like the current WWE fan just want all the matches to be like Styles vs. Cena, basic fanservice/tribute spots. And that match was fun, but its not a proper sendoff for the Cena character. Gunther was the perfect opponent, just like Lesnar was the perfect wrestler to end the streak. He can carry all the heat and benefit from it. They set up the finish perfectly, with Gunther working the neck with lariats, powerbombs and finally the sleeper hold. I just wish the post match had been just Cena in the ring, not with Triple H getting attention as always. They should've done a ceremony on Raw with all the wrestlers like the one they did for Flair in 2008."

[5.0] "It was fine. I never expected anything good from this seeing Cena's matches this year so I guess this was better than I feared it would be. Gunther dominating past his prime Cena made sense, Cena playing his biggest hits at the end was fine too. We even got into a positive "Super Cena" mode which after all those years is just weird to see. The thing I liked the most about this match was the finish. To me, this is exactly how it should have been."

[7.0] "There were two things motivating how I watched this: What this match had to be, and what this match was going to be. What this match had to be to me was a match where Cena not only busts out the classics but has to go into his bag with some old moves(spinning powerbomb, Throwback, Code Red even maybe) to conquer the absolute technical force and brutalization of Gunther, almost Hansen-Kobashi esque in the roles they play with Cena trying to avoid the sleepers and chops as Kobashi daringly evades the lariat. What it was going to be was basically what we got, a much slower match where Cena spams the signatures and Gunther mostly does the same. The lariat spots went on for a bit too long before Cena reversed, the chops were shockingly absent, and Cena definitely missed the mark on some moves, though that can be forgiven with his age. On the positive side, I thought that the stair AA and sleeper spots went over extremely well, and I didn't have any issue with the finish outside of the fact they built up Gunther being this tall task to submit when they had him tap to **Jey Uso** not even a year before this match. Generally Cena got a horrible final year booking wise and there wasn't much this match could do to change that barring an all out classic, but it nonetheless was good for what it was and brings about a serviceable close to the unforgettable career of one John Felix Anthony Cena."

[7.0] "it was okay i guess. still respect to it. while i don't know how to feel about the ending, after cena battling for 5minutes against gunthers chokeholds, he smiled to the camera and "gave up" - in my head this makes look gunther bad, he actually wasn't able to let him tap, john decided to tap in a kinda goofy way. a way to make a newcomer look good and push him over. idk if gunther needed that."

[8.0] "Gunther vs. John Cena war nicht ganz so wie ich es mir vorgestellt habe. Ich habe eher auf ein etwas technischeres Match gehofft, es war jedoch eher ein brawl. Ich finde es eine absolute Ehre das Gunther der letzte Gegner Cenas ist und ich glaube er weiß das auch wertzuschätzen. Ich bin froh das die beiden Zeit bekommen haben. Es gab tolle near falls, einige klassische Cena Momente und am Ende den richtigen Sieger. Ein emotionaler Abschied (****)."

[6.0] "Okay hype video to sum it all up. This match has 2 obvious outcomes - Clean Cena win to finally have a feel good moment for this horrible retirement tour. Or a bloody tapout against the new top heel and cement Gunther with nuclear heat. I do not like the way they chose to do the ending. I get it, Cena the superman became Cena the person and he accepted it and smiled. I get it! I just don't like it done that way after this retirement tour. In a vacuum this finish is fine. Now to the match: Entrances take a ton of time, as expected. Gunther treats this just like any other opponent, not up to his standards. My wife mentioned how Ric vs Shawn felt so much more monumentous and emotional. Commentary makes Gunther feel way worse than he is. Even tho he is constantly on top this feels loveless and honestly pretty boring. We get 2 five move of doom comebacks, the second with an actual AA. In any other venue, with any other two people this would be pretty much just be a DUD. Luckily the fans eat it up. This is barely an exhibition. Even in it's niche of sports entertainment/Tribute/retirement matches, this is not one of the great ones. Good enough is probably the best rating for this. Gunther imo should have milked it for the heat if this was what they wanted, the bit after the tap makes me think they will mishandle it. 5.5 feeling generous."

[5.0] "John Cena is the reason I started watching wwe, when I heard about his last tour I got excited but match after match I actually felt that he somehow missed a lot of opportunities in that tour then I saw Gunther won the last time is now tournament and hoped for a great match at least but it was just sad, I think after time I would like the last scene where he smile and tap just to end the match but now it actually frustrating me to see my superhero tap out"

[7.0] "I can't understand all the fuss about the result at all. Cena has built his career by defeating monsters one after the other, sometimes in the most unbelievable ways. Now he's found his own Brock Lesnar, and suddenly there's a huge outcry. Basically, it's the only reasonable way to make the match meaningful beyond Cena himself, because Gunther now really has a place in the history books. John Cena doesn't care whether he celebrates with the fans after a win or a loss. And if Cena can deal with it, then even the biggest marks should be able to somehow manage it. By the way, the match is really worth watching, the submission as a outcome is okay, but it's portrayed in a distinctly anticlimactic way."

[8.0] "The most important wrestler of a generation plays the hits one last time as the crowd is 200% with him all the way through. It's simple & it's pretty beautiful. Thank you Cena."

[10.0] "The day has come. John Cena has retired from professional wrestling. As his longtime fan, I was heavily invested in this match. It had a unique booking. Cena was calling the spots almost the entire time, but some smart decisions were made. Gunther promised to brutally piece Cena up, so he did. Lariat after lariat after lariat and then sleeper after sleeper after sleeper and Cena taps out. The tap was just a sign that Cena had nothing left and he was clearly calling it a career. Aside from all the AAs and a leg drop, Cena didn't do anything bombastic, but did he have to? Gunther looked unstoppable and I'm excited to see where he goes from there. Hopefully to much bigger things. Cena is now retired and the new era truly begins"

[9.0] "For John Cena's match, this encapsulates his career as best as it could have. The ultimate Cena vs Monster match that it could have been in which Gunther looked unstoppable and we always believed Cena could do it. The ending was truly shocking but I don't think it was bad or the wrong decisions. The fans booed Triple H, chanted "bullshit" and "fuck Triple H" but honestly, look at Cena's entire career and everything he stands by, something which he himself wanted this event to be - a showcase for the future faces of WWE. No part of me think the finish was Triple H's decision. Of course, I could be wrong, but given how importantly Cena feels about paving the way for new superstars, and specifically requesting that this event do that, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Cena's idea to finally have him tap out, making Gunther look indestructible. Wonderful stuff. A great match."

"[10/10] I think this match is the best it could be from an entertainment persoective in the same way that the Rock vs Hollywood Hogan was a 10/10. We may NEVER see a crowd this loud during a match again, and Cena tapping out in front of 10, 000+ fans that came exclusively to see Cena is the type of nuclear heat not seen since Michaels and the Montreal Screwjob. It may have been a slightly safer option to have Cena pass out, but the way Cena taps out is not the usual "This pain is so bad I'm giving up" way, but rather trying to say "Gunther deserves this win, I'm out", to put Gunther over in the strongest way possible. Now the only question is WWE can carry this Gunther momentum, or if this will be yet another fumble. All of this makes it even more ridiculous that Gunther tapped to fucking Jey Uso only a few months ago. As for the match itself, it's decent. if you want to look at it objectively in a vaccuum, it is a LOT of restholds and submission moves, and I don't think Cena pulls out any move other than the 5 moves of doom and STFU. But this was never going to be a "5* match" in that way, and it didn't need to be, the way they worked the crowd."

[10.0] "It's no surprise that Cena's last match of this retirement tour is his best one, and of course it's against one of the very best in-ring wrestlers alive today in Gunther. This match was a great showcase of Cena, you got to see all his classic stuff one last time. The only small thing I wished for is that they gave him a more epic "last" entrance. It was still great don't get me wrong, but I think a little tribute before he comes out would've been a tear-jerker for sure. The fact he tapped out was the icing on the cake though, struggling to get out of the sleeper hold and just accepting his fate that it was over was just fantastic. The entire crowd hated it, I get it was a little anticlimactic, but it's poetic that the guy who said "never give up" did in fact give up in his last match. Great storytelling and helps Gunther become an even bigger threat than before (not like he wasn't already! )."

[8.0] "Dieses Match war einfach gut! Es war ab der ersten Sekunde richtig cheesy und hatte eine klare Story. Man hat hier nicht mehr und nicht weniger gebraucht. Würdiges letztes Match der Legende John Cena"

[7.0] "Cena is very limited at this point, but this is a masterclass in getting more from less. Very reminiscent of 1980s WWF in that regard. A great and stifling heel performance from GUNTHER leads to maybe the most I've ever seen a crowd be into a sleeper. A good one to go out on."

[10.0] "You could not ask for a better retirement match. Cena gave it his all with the hundreds of AAAs, including one from the top rope and another through a table, broke out of the sleeper like 5 different times despite being locked in it for like 5 minutes straight, but finally realized his time was up. Him tapping out wasn't him "giving up". It was acknowledging the Gunther was the better wrestler and Cena showing he's content with his wrestling career"

[10.0] "The end of an era. It wasn't about wrestling, it was about emotions. It was a very emotional event, the fans were energized and didn't let up throughout the performance. Cena did not disappoint, showing that he "still got it" and ending his wrestling career with dignity."

[10.0] "Peoples criticize one of the few very good moments in this John cena's retirement tour: John after all realize that is time is up, he fought like a true warrior against Gunther but now Cena is a unable to climb that mountain. Cena taught us many things and this time he taught us that there is nothing wrong in recognizing the insurmountable limit 9/10"

"(4.0) Idk man. What a massive bummer. Not in the way that Gunther won or that Cena is done. We knew this was Cena's retirement match, we knew if he was putting over Dom Mysterio or Brock Lesnar, he's probably putting over Gunther. That's all fine and the way the match was worked was relatively good. It's a classic Cena formula match with the table bump and milking the 5 moves of doom. It's cute stuff that Cena is known for and it adds to the feeling of a party that no one really wants to end. Gunther is brutal here but it's really obvious he is holding back. The powerbomb, the way he slowly sinks the choke in instead just slapping it on, the chops, it's all really held back. If I was grading the match by itself, it's the most 6/10 wrestling match of all time. It's not what it could have been. Which is really why I'm even typing this out. The entirety of the WWE John Cena retirement run is by far the most creatively bankrupt idea in the WWE canon. It's unbelievable to me that a company with this many writers, this many skilled professional wrestlers, this many people who see the backlash and discourse online and within their OWN ARENAS, would be unable to pivot. It's very obvious that The Rock left the WWE high and dry to go campaign for an Oscar with "The Smashing Machine", a movie that I'm 95% only I saw in theaters. And it's really obvious that Travis Scott got tired of not smoking meth and decided her didn't want to participate. But why in the fuck did it take such a long time to get away from the original inception of the story. John Cena is done. There will be no resolution to why he turned heel. There will be no comeuppance for anybody. There will only be mid. WWE loves to state that their competition is not AEW or any other wrestling company, and instead is streaming services and film. Their competition is the works of Cormac McCarthy, video games like Disco Elysium, television like Shogun and Succession, and music like the albums of Kendrick Lamar. It's an attention economy. OK, if that's the case, why the actual fuck would anybody watch this product or anything from this company? It's so far behind in every single facet of entertainment in comparison not only to their actual competition but behind the lightyears of actual intelligence it takes to watch a comprehend literally any above average movie that's come out in the last 3 years. It's embarassing. Someone like Cena deserves far more from people who will actually try for those that put their bodies on the line for entertainment. Its a realization that the WWE isn't a modern day circus or theater, it's modern day slavery. You sign off you likeness and you become a puppet for WWE to parade around much like they do with the image and body of someone like Eddie Guerrero. Did they actually stop to get Eddie help or not say heinous shit about him after his death? No. They profited. But what would you expect little old WWE to do? Starve on the millions of dollars they save by not giving their workers any Healthcare or retirement plan. John Cena is another example of this, to a far lesser degree. But it doesn't shock me that a guy who put everything into a company, just to receive nothing in return would be so bewildered by what the corporate environment has become and would say "Man, this ain't for me anymore. I'll go do something else." Michael Cole says the line "Pro wrestling has beaten sports entertainment" at the end of this match. That could not be more far from the truth. Corporate greed has defeated the human spirit. What a shame."

[10.0] "They nailed it. Got the most out of a late-period super Cena match before ruthlessly turning it into a Gunther match. Who cares if the sleeper hold struggles aren't realistic? It's wrestling and it made for evocative drama. The pure HEAT at the finish is something I've not seen in WWE in a decade, true unbelievable anger towards the heel and sorrow towards the babyface for not being able to take anymore of it. The face of acknowledgment, contentment even from Cena at the end as he taps, that's one of the best moments of the year. Gunther was the perfect final pick. I'm gonna miss Cena so much."

[10.0] ""I'm gonna squeeze with everything I have until the last bit of hustle, loyalty, and respect has left your body. Until there's only one way out. I'm gonna force you to give up." Gunther made true to that promise tonight in the most crushing manner possible. This was one of the loudest wrestling crowds I have ever heard, and Cena and Gunther worked this match with them in the palm of their hand. Professional wrestling at its core is simple. This match had everything it needed to showcase the simplicity and beauty of the sport by leading the people on a ride. Gunther held his arms out and constricted onto John Cena's neck until he came to terms with reality. The most pro wrestling thing to do would have been for Cena to power out of the sleeper and hit an AA for a three count to an earth shattering pop. Unfortunately, life isn't perfect and that was not meant to be tonight. As faint as it may be, I hope the WWE can capitalize on the astronomical heat Gunther gets from this. Wins of this magnitude can usually only come about every 20 years, but one like this may never come again."

"Ouch some of the reviews are a little harsh but I get it, I thought this was okay as a match but I expected better. My only critic of the match would be the face Cena tapped out I would've had him either win the match or not tap. Gunther is a beast"

[1.0] "The match was going good, but the ending kinda ruined it. Not only the match but it ruins the character of one of the greatest, John Cena. Had this been not his final match it would've been fine but this was his last match. I had my little brother beside me who's not into cena that much and the first thing he says is why john cena gave up if his main motto is never give up. Heck cena getting squash would've been much better. The fight was good, though it was following the similar pattern of cena vs Cody but was entertaining. In last the struggle of cena while gunther was trying to put him in sleeper hold was also nice to see. That's the sole reason why I even gave it 1 star, else the ending literally ruins everything imo."

"The match was far below expectations. But here's the thing about the ending: the tap-out doesn't come from the actual brutality of the match or the physical punishment they went through. It felt very meta in a 50/50 bout like asking ChatGPT what John Cena should do that he hasn't done in two decades just to go viral and make Gunther a bigger heel after tapping out to Jey Uso at WrestleMania. It's exactly like those "smile before disaster/death/defiance" movie beats which they only feel poetic when the audience has been dragged through real stakes and tension. This however was the kind of corny "cinema" where people write deep stuff to make shallow drama feel profound. Here, the moment was handed to us and I thought it was tidy, camera-ready and completely divorced from the story of the match itself. Instead of showing Cena's physical collapse or Gunther's dominance in a war, we got a wink to the crowd and a press-release-friendly tap. And the crowd's excitement was just because it was Cena's last match. Not only did it fail to reach my expectations for Cena to wrestle like his 2005-2007 self while using his awareness of age to contribute meaningfully to the narrative, but it also felt like the continuation of Cena being a parody version of himself since his face turn except this time with no tribute moves. I get what WWE had in mind, but the execution was weak. Very manufactured"

[10.0] "An incredible match - a truly unique one. John Cena's final match was fantastic from start to finish. John is one of the most legendary wrestlers of all time, and after this match I feel emotionally empty. I grew up watching him and his matches. Gunther deserves a standing ovation - an outstanding performance, delivering the perfect final match for Cena. There will never be another one like John. Anyone who rated this match below a 6 should honestly be ashamed. This match does not deserve any kind of hate."

[9.0] "I genuinely don't know how to process the ending emotionally. It moved me but I'm still unsure what I'm supposed to take away from it. Part of me feels almost betrayed like he turned his back on us while another part wonders if he was sending a message that sometimes it's okay to give up or to let go. And then there's the fear that it might've just been a cheap subversion. I honestly need time to sit with it. That said, the facial reaction of the crowd at the end was worth seeing lmao. Throughout the match, the emotions were incredibly high. It felt so much like a 70s/80s WWF style bout with a very hot crowd driving everything. It wasn't a sophisticated wrestling match in a technical sense but it absolutely delivered in terms of emotional impact. The ending really reminded me of Gran Torino where Eastwood's character knowingly walks into death during the final showdown. It's hard to accept seeing a figure defined by resilience, defiance and endurance choose defeat as their final statement. The difference is that in Gran Torino, the death clearly served a purpose. Here, I'm not sure what Cena giving up actually accomplishes. Maybe outside of kayfabe, it helps establish Gunther as the next big evil that everyone is gonna despise years to come. But thematically within kayfabe, I'm struggling to find that meaning. I feel conflicted. I feel betrayed yet strangely relieved. Maybe this was Cena's way of saying goodbye. Not through one last act of dominance but by admitting that he can't keep doing this forever and that sometimes the hardest thing to do is let go. And just like him, we should let go of him too. Nothing last forever."

[6.0] "I love the finish, the way they build up to the tap out in the match, the powerless and silence it generated, but i do think it also wasnt a good match, a lot of things that are expected and no much of a fire that give reason to the finish or the it being a retirement match, i honestly didnt feel much emotion from it, especially when overall its being a bad retirement tour. The outrage for the finish is unnecessary, but the whole thing was nothing to write home about, leaving a questionable taste in everyone's mouth"

[1.0] "I rarely watch WWE anymore for multiple reasons. I grew up watching Cena, so the completionist in me wanted to see his final match. Oh man, that was hard to watch. The match was so bad that the loyal WWE audience turned on the show in real-time, booing everything. I couldn't believe my ears. Cena's entire retirement tour, from what I have seen and heard, has been completely mishandled. The way Punk looked at Cena apologetically spoke volumes. The match was slow, boring, and predictable. Cena's match with Styles is going to be my head-cannon retirement match. It will be interesting to see how this ages moving forward. I didn't have any problem with Cena losing, but the way it was done was not good or smart."

[6.0] "Honestly, I think this match should have been something truly epic. Instead, it feels like they played the "legend who can no longer keep up with modern wrestling" card, and that's just really sad. I personally see a wrestler's retirement as a moment of celebration, but here everything felt depressing from the entrance all the way to the end. It just didn't resonate with me at all, but hey, if they're happy with it... The match itself? Not bad, overall. Still, I would have absolutely preferred Cena to win and retire as a winner. Would it have been necessary? No. But it could have been used to turn Gunther as well whether he won or lost, he wouldn't have lost a single ounce of credibility. Instead, once again, we got the bare minimum, capped off with Cena quitting, which I definitely would have avoided. As Cena's final match, this was mediocre and I say that not because it couldn't have been better, but because it was booked in a way that made it impossible for it to be anything else. Booking Gunther like this, without strong crowd engagement, is honestly very risky. The match itself could even be an 8, but considering everything around it, for me it's closer to a 4 so I had to average it out."

[10.0] "Did you see how Gunther was breathing during the whole thing? He was sweaty and red-skinned just mere minutes into the match. I believe he's probably got a flu or something like that. Poor man, having to wrestle arguably his greatest match in his career while ill must have been horrible. Match wasn't the best of all time, but 10/10 is subjective rating based on my own enjoyment."

[8.0] "Did exactly what it needed to do. Gave Cena one last great match, and set up Gunther even further to be the top heel in the company. Even when Cena announced his retirement a year ago, I knew this was one of the desired/expected outcomes. Cena actually had a hell of a performance here, and was surprised to see there wasn't much tribute moves done. Which is fine, just a little suspected of it after the last few matches, though I understand him not wanting to do that in his final match. Gunther is of course the MVP, allowing Cena to get his smash hits in, while also maintaining his usual methodical pace to perfectly match the intensity of Cena's flickering flame. It burned fast, and led to an ending that honestly could've been better? Cena tapping is fine, it's just the manner of how it occurred. Was he upset, or was it a look of solemn defeat? Time will tell. Regardless, this was a worthy final match for not just one of the best wrestlers in WWE history, but arguably wrestling history. Easily the best sports entertainer ever. As Michael Cole said at the end of the match, however, pro wrestling beat sports entertainment in this one. ****1/4"

[3.0] ""Barely passable. Plodding match. Very lacking in psychology. Finally picks up a bit at the end. Nice boo-yah moment. No run-ins, no surprises. Finish was horrible. Audience hated it, chants were universally obscene. Match got Booed, Triple HHH got booed. Press conference was cut short. IMO worse than the Corbin/Angle and Goldberg retirement matches neither of which were anything to write home about.""

[8.0] "I quite enjoyed this. I thought they worked to Cena's 2025 capabilities well, and worked at a solid pave in a match full of solid hope spots for Cena. I'm aware the finish did not land for everyone, but I liked the concept of Cena tapping in resignation after not being able to escape from the choke. A great send off in my mind."

[9.0] "The fan in me really wanted Cena to win, but the more time that passes the more I'm okay with the finish. I have no issue with Gunther winning, but I wish Cena would have just passed out rather than tapping out. Regardless it's crazy to see one of my childhood heroes be done. A decent match in ring but the crowd and stakes elevated this to another level."

[10.0] "I loved this bout, probably my favorite of Cena's retirement tour. It was full on monster heel vs. aging legend. Guther completely outclassed Cena in every way. Cena pretty much could only rely on his bog bombs and moves to even stay competitve while Guther was hitting his basic stuff. But Guther soaked in the joy of beating Cena a bit too much allowing Cena to catch with an FU through the announce table which was the biggest spot of the match which was the big equalizer. Cena and Guther at this point becomes a more equal match with Cena surving Guther's big blows, the kicks out thankfully didn't go into over board territory and the ending with Guther fighting desparetly for that choke hold leading to the submission ending was fantastic. Intial thoughts? The full *****"

"This is how you actually book a wrestling heel, everyone actually hates Gunther now and it wasn't done using controversy or out of the ring actions."

[6.0] "Well... this was weird as shit. When WALTER won the tournament I saw this match going one of two ways. Either a Vader-Inoki style squash where Gunther beats the living shit out of John and the fans riot. Or, we would see John empty whatever was left in his tank and put on his best possible match against an incredibly talented opponent. This was neither. This was a pretty strangely regular match. When John wasn't hitting the Five Moves Of Doom or a Leg Drop he was getting worked over by Gunther. And then he just lost. No real escalation, just a bunch of heat and hope spots then the finish. Weird... It feels like John left a lot in the tank rather than retiring on empty like the finish made it seem."

[5.0] "The crowd totally into it and invested. The work? felt very disjointed like Gunther wanted to make sure he really beat down on Cena to tell the story of him trying to make Cena give up and it felt like the crowd was dying and John went, nope, this isn't working and went right into the highspot Cena moveset to wake the crowd back up. They got to the finish line with smoke and mirrors. Cena taps. I think they thought it was going to be a Undertaker's streak ending moment but everyone was just like, really? It really showed the audience booed the fuck out of Triple H. You had them. Then you lost them. It wasn't a fumble but it was really close it could have gone really bad really quick. I'm just thinking like this guy was loyal to you for 23 years and this is the best send off you can give him? A video package and we're outta here. The only star we had has left the building get the hell out of here dude, we've got to get to Saudi for the Royal Rumble."

[8.0] "This match is immensely strange to me. The actual match itself was very disappointing. Gunther working over Cena is expected and good but Cena literally only threw out the five moves of doom and really nothing else. A couple punches here, top rope leg drop there. Wish there was more to this. However, this match made me feel something because Gunther made that man Cena tap. Fuck yo GOAT shit, I can see you, he gave up, that's my Ring General. Very similar to Styles VS Cena from Crown Jewel earlier this year. Not the best match by any means but nice. 4.25 stars out of 5 for this one."

[9.0] "I have a lot of thoughts on this match but until a rewatch I'll just say this, I loved almost everything they did here. GUNTHER was perfect, playing the Doomsday to Cena's Superman; his nuanced character-work and crowd-control were masterful and only got better as the match progressed. The finishing sequence was fantastic as GUNTHER refused to let go of his sleeper hold, eventually leading Cena to give up. My only issue with this match, sadly, lies with Cena's performance; I felt like his body language and facial expressions were way too hammy, which made his portions of the match look a little silly."

"confused on the high rating on this match, sure its cena last match, but it was lackluster. not because of cena tapping out, but because 1 gunther feels random af pick for final fight, he has no relation to cena and he is already over so its not like cena is putting gunther over and 2, the match was just kind of a midpack, swingy slow and controlly, it was mostly one or the other dominating the other for like 8 min a turn with sometimes some back and forth, sure it was hype but the fight itself is forgetable. also doesnt helps that overall i find gunther uninteresting as both an in ring performer and in the mic/as a character. and the ending was cool with the double gold, the video and the send off, but cena needed to get on the mic one last time. either a 5 or a 6 out of 10"

[10.0] "A truly amazing match. This is exactly the kind of match we wanted to see in John Cena's final run. It's incredibly sad that this is the last match of such a big, cool, and important wrestler, who made so many people fall in love with wrestling and become wrestlers themselves. It makes sense that he gave up. He lived by that motto throughout his career, but his career was over, so it was time to move on from it. To leave it all behind in this amazing 23-year story."

[9.0] "Pretty great final match for Cena here. I think the only reason I did not think it was a 10 was Michael Cole on commentary gave the match away during the entrances. The crowd is super into everything during this match. Cena puts on another great showing for the crowd one last time"

[9.0] "This was just amazing, the storytelling with Gunther beating Cena down and Cena not being able to keep up is great, although Cena still got his comeback moments but mostly just hit his greatest hits. Gunther eventually made Cena tap out and he has nuclear heat now."

"Despite how a lot of people feel, Gunther should be beating an aged Cena and Cena's Superman gimmick was so annoying for some of our youths that the least he can do is finally go out as a human. Gunther controlled early on, Cena comes back with 4 of the 5MOD, then eventually an stf. Gunther with multiple clotheslines but then Cena completes the 5MOD for the cover. AA through the table. Cena throws everything at Gunther. I found the final struggle engaging and this was the right result imo, both for Gunther and Cena. Cena willingly tapping out is also important because "never give up" might be a nice mantra but the booking here said "this is reality" and this old man can't stay invincible forever and shouldn't have been in the 1st place."

[9.0] "On an in-ring standpoint, it was a solid David vs. Goliath encounter where Gunther tried relentlessly to make Cena quit, and Cena didn't budge so easily. That itself was the encapsulating story of something Cena has done over the years to a point where no one would want to see him quit. Seeing Cena hit the 'best hits' for the very final time against a monster like Gunther was bitterly satisfying. The final visual is stuck in my brain forever, as all the greatest players need to accept the reality that it has to end sometime. My minor nitpick was not witnessing a few final tributes or a difference in Cena's offense similar to his previous matches over the last few months. I'm certain that the discourse would be epic in favor of Gunther, for breaking a lot of fans' spirits, and to an extent, Hunter, for his "booking calls, " but after a few years, this ending will be remembered as poetic justice to someone who had "Never Give Up" as his mantra. 4.5 out of 5 stars!"

[1.0] "This is absolute number one bullshit. I love John Cena, I respect Gunther, but this match was beyond disappointing. I knew John Cena would lose, and I even expected he might tap out--but I never imagined two top-tier professional wrestlers could deliver such a poor match. Gunther had been incredibly consistent in *The Last Time Is Now Tournament*: four matches, all receiving **4.25-star ratings from WON**. I truly believed he would make John Cena's final career match something special. And it was special--just in the worst way possible. If the match had been fiercely competitive, I could have accepted Cena's character tapping out. But this wasn't intense at all--I never felt like these two were fighting exhausted, holding nothing back, or leaving it all in the ring until the very end. What a letdown."

[8.0] "This was a great match. Here we are, the last match of John Cena's career. Keep in mind, I grew up watching John Cena and while he's nowhere near my favorite wrestler, seeing him in his last match brought back some childhood nostalgia. Someone who is definitely becoming more of a favorite of mine in the last several years is Gunther. This guy is just a beast, seemingly incapable of having a bad match. Gunther won The Last Time Is Now tournament, a mixed bag of a tournament to be sure but Gunther was always the highlight. It made sense that Gunther would face John Cena is his final match as Cena helped make a career off of beating the big monster, doing it before with guys like Big Show, Umaga, Rusev and the Great Khali. Gunther is different from all those men as he is just a machine. The match was simple in it's lay out, with Cena fighting from underneath Gunther. This wasn't as much as a finisher spam as previous Cena matches have been. The story of the end of this match was Gunther trying to tap Cena out with the sleeper hold and they told a great story of Cena trying to fight out of the sleeper hold. I will admit the finish did look goofy with Cena smiling and tapping out, which is something that he hadn't done since before he became the top guy back in 2005. Obviously a lot of people thought that Cena shouldn't have tapped out if he had to lose. I'll reserve judgment on that one. All I'll say this Triple H became the biggest heel in the building when he came out to celebrate with everyone else. I don't think long term, the finish will harm this match and certainly won't be any sort of major black spot in his career. You had a great career John Cena. Godspeed. ****"

"(10.0) Quite possibly the best way to send off the legendary career of John Cena. An amazing match with Gunther that ended in the best way, John cena, our hero, tapping out. He knew he had nothing left. He knew what this would do for Gunther and his career. He knew he could end off his career as a true superhero. And with that, you have one of the best matches of Cena's career. Thank you John Cena."

[8.0] "I really liked the match. It was damn good. Cena went hard and Gunther did a great job. Some big bumps, great crowd dynamic and chants. That extended sleeper could've been dire, but the crowd and the way they worked it was tremendous. But...the most languid tap out I can ever remember seeing. After all that battle, Cena just...calmly taps out. Maybe that was the story being told - one of resignation - but the execution didn't land for me. Cena losing absolutely killed that crowd, that reaction was STARK."

[10.0] "John Cena is WWE. Nothing that happened could make me rate this anything less than a 10, that's the man I've watched on the screen since I was a child and now as a grown man I don't know what to feel or write, I will miss you John.... don't know what just happened or how this ended but all I can tell is that he truly is the greatest of all time. The face of wrestling."

[9.0] "Cena leaves tapping out and puts Gunther very over, many winks to momentums of cena career (that AA over the table by example), the people is paying extremely close attention if Cena reverses the holds of Gunther, if Gunther kick out the AAs, etc. Cena losing by submission is very epic and beautiful to me, i was expecting an average match but this one surprise me for good, plus the crowd was very upset after watch cena smiling and tapping out like nothing. 90/100"

[9.0] "The last review I wrote deleted itself, oh well. I think this one is special, and bittersweet to many degrees but telling a story that makes it extremely hard for me not to come out of it appreciative. John Cena has spent this entire year, especially after giving it his all in his rematch vs Cody with a mentality of "this all I have left." This match is the ultimate culmination of that feeling and in many ways a final showing for Cena's own will itself. Gunther's idea is to tear Cena down, to a degree that subconsciously Gunther tells in a way as if he doesn't even believe he can himself. Cena fights with everything he has left, in the final stretch of the match tearing him down he continues to push and push against it all with the entire crowd essentially behind him possibly more universally than I've ever seen. After so much wear, Cena for what feels like the first time in 20 years realizes that'd all he has left and with a smile on his face taps out. The rest is history, with John Cena dies his Never Give Up mentality, and if there was ever a time for him to give up, it would be the very last match of his. I'll miss you dearly John, it's so unfortunate Peacock screwed up so hard with their broadcast stuttering it ruined a lot of how I felt about the match in the moment. I think this is one to sit on and think about before immediately throwing out the more hateful feelings. There's a lot special here"

[10.0] "Cena ans Gunther put on a classic that felt like many of the classic Cena main events we have seen throughout the years. Many genuinely great looking spots in all aspects. I found the finish to be perfectly grim, we are making wrestling fans sad and uncomfortable again, Gunther is a demon at this point."

[6.0] "Well, thats it. Thats the last we will see of the greatest of all time. And the match was... okay. Ive decided against taking points off for the horrendous triple h cameo at the end, i cant stand that guy. Anyways, this match was a basic enough match to the point where it was watchable. Gunther is my guy so i cant not watch a match of his, especially in cenas last match, even though this match was very slow and very obviously called by john. Anyways, him lightly tapping out at the end was an interesting decision, idk if i agree with that. Also, what's the point of Gunther tapping out to Jey Uso if he's just gonna beat cena in the biggest match of his career?"

[9.0] "Damn, pretty crazy that Cena is officially done, and I think this was a very good match to end on. I don't know why people expected Cena to win, I always had the feeling that Cena would happily take the L in his final match to give someone the boost of retiring him and although I was unsure of how to feel about Gunther being in that spot, I'm cool with it. Cena tapping out is poetic, the "never give up" guy finally giving up in his very last match is a fitting way to end. Gunther gains a lot here and I hope WWE run with it and don't drop the ball like they have with so many other things in recent times. I'll miss getting to watch Cena wrestle, he's been a favourite of mine since day 1 of me becoming a wrestling fan. A good send off for one of the greatest to ever do it."

[8.0] "This is exactly what I expected in terms of pomp and circumstance, I love that they've put all the fluff before and after the match so that the match itself can tell a focused classic Cena story with a suitably feelbad ending. Some really fun big spots in here and Gunther held nothing back in terms of stiffness, absolutely leathering John at various points, they really had some great chemistry. I loved the build to the finish with Gunther just relentless in his application of the sleeper. Also that face Cena made at the very end killed me, man looked like he was on his way to heaven. I think maybe it could have had a little more action but a memorable and very enjoyable end to a career if indeed it is the end, you know what wrestling is like."

[10.0] "Beautiful send off for the greatest of all time. This was so hard for me. Since the second I started watching wrestling John Cena was my guy. The man that made me love this industry and eventually made me chase these dreams starting this year in 2025. I owe a lot to John Cena without ever even meeting him and I'm so happy to be able to say he is my favorite wrestler of all time. He did so much for the industry and for all of the fans and especially for my generations of young fans. Cena deserved so much in his final match and I'm pleased with how it came off and I hope he is to. It's hard to thing I'll never see one more run to the ring or 5 Knuckle shuffle or introduction before a big match. But no matter what through all the years of cena winning I stayed right by his side and defended him like there was no tomorrow. I never turned on Cena as a fan when everyone else my age did in so grateful for the years he gave us. This match will remain one of my favorites John Cena ever had in his career because of just how beautiful it is worked. In his final moments he looked at us right in the camera as he knew he couldn't defeat this man. Not today. Not in his final moments. And for the first time in 20 so years he has given up because he knew it was time. His time to say goodbye. Thank you John Cena for everything and every moment and memory and match will forever live in my head and heart. Weather in watchint for enjoyment or in studying because I'm still that kid who wants to be as great as you one day. I can't believe this road has came to a close and it's time to say good bye to my childhood goodbye to the one thing I always knew would be there. John Cena you are the greatest of all time. Thank you. (*****)"

[10.0] "ok the fans were obviously hoping for the feel-good ending of Cena beating Gunther. Instead, they got Gunther retiring another wrestler. And with some other notable retirements approaching, this may not be the end of the "career killer" saga. AJ Styles is retiring next year. but man am I sad John is gone thank you Cena though great match, one of johns best ever"

"i loved this match, i get if some ppl are mad about the ending but i thought it was perfect story telling. john cena trying to get out of the hold but eventually taps was cinema. gunther was the perfect option for cena's last opponent, he played a perfect villain the whole match. the most emotional match over ever watched, the tears were definitely there. just a perfect story driven match in my opinion. cena went out with a bang, THANK YOU GOAT! 10/10"

[8.0] "This was a really fun and dramatic match. It wasn't perfect (Cena's wild spot calling could have been seen from the Moon), but it did it's job well and Gunther was really the right guy for Cena to go out against. The finish was a pleasant surprise and Cena looked much better here than he has in most of his retirement run. Great match: ****1/4."

"This was a classic old school kind of match & I really enjoyed the back & fourth struggle. I know ppl won't like the fact Cena lost or even tapped but it was 100% the right call. The boo's triple h got btw were hilarious"

[10.0] "Truly a heartbreaking match to see Cena in his final moments. Lots of nice action. Always great to see Cena fight his way up, and also to see Gunther show his dominant side All around great stuff. Maybe a WWE match of the year contender. Thank you John Cena for everything you have given us"

[10.0] "Attended this live. One of the greatest matches I've ever seen and an easy 10. The atmosphere was just unreal from start to finish. The build to the end was just tremendous, with Gunther looking unstoppable and Cena trying to tap into "Super Cena" one last time. Cena finally tapping, especially with the crowd chanting "Don't Give Up" after all these years just cemented Gunther's legendary status."

[9.0] "Gunther vs. John Cena was a great, emotionally charged way for Cena to go out. It was a simplistic yet supremely effective showcase, with Gunther showing that he was the ultimate final opponent by completely living up to the role of the invincible heel, with enough plausible Super Cena left for good measure to make everyone care. While the tap-out victory was painful and divisive, it was fully earned, especially with Cena accepting the loss with a grin, even if it hung around for just a beat too long for some. Perhaps the crowd's passion and pain of loss would never truly let everyone forget that it is one of the greatest of all time, but it momentarily overshadowed the send-off. Following an intense 23 minutes, it was clearly a great way for John Cena to say goodbye."

[7.0] "Absolutely in love with the narrative at its core, Gunther making John "give up" is the perfect way to retire him and all the moments revolving around that (the finishing stretch namely, the extended submission sequence and John powering out to the crowd chanting "don't give up" at him was SO GOOD). There was too much 50/50 for me at the start, I needed Gunther to murder him for a bit just to solidify that story. I also thought the final final stretch was bizarre, the smile followed by the tap is way too cute for me. LMAO at the crowd reaction."

[10.0] "I loved this match. Cena tapped out. That was the story. People are going to be livid. They definitely were. The fans at the end with every single one of their faces with disappointment, anger, sadness and defeat. That's the business. Gunther is now not just a supervillian, he is THE SUPERVILLIAN. Thank you John for everything. That was a hell of a match. I couldn't have been happier with it. John definitely had Super Cena moments and has plenty of gas left in the tank. But when you say goodbye, its always painful. It was going to be heartbreaking irregardless but thats what makes pro wrestling emotional."

[8.0] "Gunther was always the right option to retire Cena and he proved it, he's a great wrestler and he gets that heel heat, this will benefit Gunther a lot and WWE should even think about having him win the rumble. This match was solid and that ending was PERFECTION, Cena trying and trying to get out of the sleeper hold but he eventually tapped out (him smiling while tapping was the great detail). THANK YOU CENA MY GOAT for everything"

[10.0] "The match was incredible, and honestly, I'm really glad Gunther was chosen to be John Cena's final opponent. I liked the whole match except for the ending. The way he gives up is more like, "Go ahead, guys, I'm too lazy to continue, I'm stopping here." He has a smile on his face. It's done in a weird way, and normally I should be angry that John Cena, one of my childhood heroes, had such an ending, but I don't know, I can't seem to be. I don't want that finish to be all I remember from his retirement match. We had 23 incredible minutes, and that's what I want to remember. Have a good retirement, John, and thank you for everything you've brought to this sport!"

[8.0] "Really really good send off for Cena that could've benefited from a couple more minutes and a bit more focus. Crowd was understandably super into this the whole time and the silence following Cena's loss was phenomenal. While not actually part of the match, the handling of the post match was very poor and disjointed feeling. Triple H is a spotlight hog who stripped the moment of all emotional relevance."

[9.0] "Phenomenal match. Triple K can't leave that arena alive, but this match obviously wasn't the reason. Right result, amazing finish and guys, let's be honest, it was probably Cena who asked to tap out. I don't get the revolt for this only. The event was awful for different reason, but this was a perfect 80's match."

[9.0] "Objectively, a very good match. Maybe not perfect, but Gunther proved exactly why he was the right choice to not only be Cena's last match but also to make him tap out. Gunther worked as a perfect villain to Cena all throughout the match, and the crowd helped to "illustrate" this image in everyone's mind. I'd say the sleeper spot at the end dragged a bit, but it still managed to keep my attention until the very end, where Cena smiles and accept that his career is over, finally tapping out."

[7.0] "The match did a solid job leaning into what both men do best. Cena hit all of his greatest hits, the shoulder tackles, the Five Knuckle Shuffle, and the AA, which gave the crowd exactly what they came to see and helped keep the energy high throughout. Gunther, on the other hand, stayed true to his identity, frequently targeting Cena with sleeper holds and grinding him down with his physical, methodical style. One thing that would've elevated the match even more for me is the finish. I would've much rather seen Cena pass out to Gunther's sleeper, fully embracing the idea that Cena "never gives up, " even in defeat. That kind of ending would've protected Cena while making Gunther feel even more dominant and dangerous. Overall, it was still a decent match. The in-ring work was good, and the crowd and atmosphere played a huge role in elevating it beyond what it might've been on paper. It wasn't an all-time classic, but it was entertaining, meaningful, and effective. 7/10."

[5.0] "It is absurd how a match that effected me so emotionally can simultaneously be a bad to mediocre match. I hoped that John Cena would save his best for last he seemed to use the last of his tank on AJ Styles. This match is a series of weak looking offense, five moves of doom sequences, finisher spam and a Hulk Hogan-esque sleeper sequence. The only reason I'm not being overly negative is because of how being emotionally invested in Cena's career adds a lot to this match. All of this is due to this being the most Cena booked match of all time essentially. Cena fights the odds, has a series of comebacks with limited move variety and had this not have been his retirement match it'd end in lol Cena wins. Gunther didn't even look good here and it did feel like he held back for John and Cena also couldn't sell Gunther's offence effectively. This brings me to the finish. Admittedly the constant near falls did work me because what better way to have Cena go out on top than to have him win in the most Cena way possible but of course there still was the lingering thought of this may be the time Cena finally gives up. Personally, I don't think he needed to give up and I would've been very happy with Cena passing out but instead Cena spikes the lense, gives the camera a smile and gives a very nonchalant tap out. I think the intention is that this is John Cena waving goodbye but how it actually reads is "ok I've had enough" a super lame way to finish the match. This whole thing had me on the verge of tears during John's entrance and balling my eyes out when it was all over but the match itself is such an underwhelming representation of Cena's career."

[5.0] "The tradition of a wrestler going out on his back in his last match is a tradition because it puts the spotlight on his opponent, giving the opponent more credibility in the future. This match failed in that regard because Gunther was just going through the motions of a match without telling any story about wanting to be a legend killer. I don't fault Gunther for that since it was exceedingly obvious that John Cena was calling the entire match. However, if Gunther were allowed to be much more brutal in this match, wearing Cena down before eventually claiming the submission victory, it would be a much better match. Unfortunately, most of the match outside the chokeholds at the end was 50/50 offense with a few high spots that didn't land with as much impact as they should have."

[10.0] "Pretty much perfect. From the beginning till the finish, another Cena classic and a perfect way to go out. I really don't remember the last time I was this invested in a wrestling match. Story was simple but it was everything it needed to be. I didn't know how I was going to feel when Cena taps out but the way they booked it made sense. Fans will cry about it, crowd pretty much ruined Cena's goodbye because they couldn't for one moment think about the guy they came there to celebrate and decided to throw a tantrum. All there's left to say is Thank You Cena. You are The GOAT and You will be missed."

[10.0] "Fantastic story driven match. A lot of fan service in this match, but unlike the AJ Styles match, this one was not style over substance. I've never been the biggest Cena fan, but this was the perfect farewell match as Gunther is like the polar opposite of Cena in terms of wrestling and presentation. A lot of exciting spots and near falls and a very hot crowd. The finish was fantastic with the exception of that it could have been better acted on Cena's part. It was damn near perfect, but the one thing I would critique it for is how ironically somehow Cena has become a worse actor since becoming a Hollywood man, and some of his acting was quite cheesy and his spot calling was at record levels of noticeable. Other than that it was perfect."

[9.0] "I have John Cena to thank for my love of professional wrestling. I grew up tuning into every Monday Night Raw to watch Cena. I cried when the Nexus "retired" Cena, and I shed some tears tonight as well. I remember the worst and the best of the early 2010s for Cena, from John Laurainitis at Over the Limit, to CM Punk at Money in the Bank. This final match told a great story and played on Cena's greatest hits. Cena's entrance and the crowd made this really great too."

[9.0] "It ended perfectly, the match was constructed excellently and the crowd was unreal for all of the moments that they needed to be. Having a heel was the clear obvious choice and it paid fucking dividends with how much they bought into the dynamic. It was far too short tho, i was hoping for 30 at least, closer to 40. They could have done it too! But probably the current best retirement match in wrestling. ****1/2"

[10.0] "Given everything WWE has been in 2025 (especially regarding Cena) I was worried about how this would go, but there really wasn't anything they could've done different that would've been better here from bell to bell. Cena soaks in the crowd, Gunther dismisses them. The tried and true Cena hallmarks hit their mark but none of them put Gunther down. Gunther dominates, just beating Cena to a pulp, but his cockiness gives Cena moments of hope multiple times. The crowd just absolutely being there for every moment ("Don't Give Up" is a phenomenal chant). The middle portion that was just lariat, "ASK HIM IF HE QUITS", repeat like six times before Cena does his comeback again and then hyping up the crowd for the very last-ever Five-Knuckle Shuffle only to get cut off, all incredible. Then that finishing stretch is what I hoped for but didn't think they'd be willing to do: Gunther is just so insistent on the Sleeper no matter what powering-out of it Cena attempts that John just realizes he's in checkmate and taps out for the first time in over 20 years. This was a top-tier Cena performance against a top-tier monster heel with a hot crowd and a perfect ending to both the match and career of one of the GOATs. Truly exceptional stuff and easily a Top 10 match in both men's careers. Also I thought Cena grabbing the Coquina Clutch to reciprocate Samoa Joe's STF was a nice nod. ****3/4+"

[2.0] "Well... that was BORING. Half of the match was Sleeper Hold. And in general, everyone ended up upset with the result. Maybe the outcome wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't made Cena endure after an eternity of Sleeper Hold. For someone who dedicated his entire life to giving everything for the company and the fans, this feels almost insulting. The guy wrestled as usual: very limited, the same moves as always, but he did them and he didn't look as finished as many would think. This makes me think he could have had a better match if they hadn't focused on holding a submission hold for such prolonged periods."

"This is everything I hated about the Logan Paul, Randy Orton, and Cm Punk match. This was very obviously called on the fly, and even though I am a huge fan of Cena and Gunther but it led to them just recycling spots and finishers. There were no real sequences. The had the type of match where they do 1 move every 2 minutes, but unlike the AJ Styles match they were just the same moves over and over. The finish wasn't even bad, I didn't really care who won. But I just hate this type of match"

[10.0] "Even while this was not a technical classic, it was emotional, intense and had a completely unexpected finish. Nobody though that John Cena would give up in his final ever match. While for the story it makes sense and makes Gunther look like a monster, it was completely unexpected. This is the standard for how all retirement matches should go."

[7.0] "match dragged by the fans, considering that it was a showcase of Cena's best but with a little bit of storyline. the centre was that Gunther could be the one that make Cena tap out , maybe a little much center on this but there's the concrete fear that Gunther could lose! at the end Cena was in peace, he did it all he can give up. thank you Cena"

[9.0] "This was a psychological match at its core, and I did it very freaking good. Now, the finish. The most controversial finish to ever exist, but I adored it. One final heartbreak that truly got Gunther over as a good heel. One last smile from Cena as he tapped, knowing he was truly helping Gunther as his mission to help the future of the business was realized. Crowd gave it their all too, making it feel like Taker's streak was broken all over again. Thank you John for one last banger. John with the two world titles was a great shot and was truly surreal. Was this the best retirement match ever? No, but it got pretty close. HHH can still go to hell though. If he gets booed every time he's on screen now for this I'll be laughing like a hyena. 4.75*"

"Sadly I didn't enjoy this match as much as other people have. The final 4 minutes of the match was Gunther locking in the sleeper on Cena and Cena finding some hope before Gunther locks it back in, it was boring. The overall match itself was boring with Gunther and Cenas pacing of the match being all over the place. Many people went into this match angry that Gunther was Cenas final opponent, I wasn't one of those people, I believed these two would put on a good match and they didn't. There were good moments in the match like the AA through the table and some top rope action, but otherwise it was a failed finisher fest. In my opinion this was a terrible end to a great career. 4/10"

[10.0] "It's kind of hard for me to be objective about this match. John Cena is someone I've loved even before I started watching wrestling. One of the most exciting parts of my venture into wrestling was seeing his classic matches. Seeing him finally retire was very emotional. I must confess that I cried a little. The match itself is probably one I would have given an 8 or a 9 under normal circumstances but the pure emotions I experienced made it extra special."

[8.0] "Kein In-Ring Klassiker, aber auch Story ebene hat es mich komplett überzeugt. Gunther ist der beste Gegner für das letzte Match von ihm um ein wirklich gutes, no bullshit Match abzuliefern. Die Story rund um die Submission passt und der generelle Aufbau ist bis kurz vor dem Ende perfekte. Wie der finale Tap umgesetzt ist, gefällt mir leider nicht, wobei ich im Zwiespalt bin, weil es eher so gewirkt hat als hätte er seinen Fighting Spirit verloren und es akzeptiert dass es hier, genauso endet. Und irgendwie ist es poetisch, andererseits gar nicht Cena typisch. Crowd war sehr stark und trotz einer absolut unwürdigen Show für ihn ein würdiges In-Ring ende. (****1/4)"

[9.0] "A bit of the same moves, but the way it should have ended. A fantastic way to end the Super Cena saga, putting over Gunther huge in the process. So much drama that had the crowd believing the victor could be either man, and Gunther was absolutely a correct choice to be his last opponent. [****.5]"

[10.0] "What a match that's why you have Gunther be his last opponent no one could've given that performance like him, what a great way to end Cena career i wish it didn't have to end but what a way to end one last super Cena performance but even with that it wasn't enough to stop the ring general"

[4.0] "This match proves what everyone says about Cena - he's an extremely limited, average wrestler. I'm sure this match meant the world to big fans of John Cena but I am not a huge Cena fan, but trust me I wanted to like this match and its arguably the biggest non-title match in American wrestling history, at least since Hogan v Rock at WrestleMania. The match was slow, plodding, not hard-hitting in the way I expected, not dramatic except for the very finish, it was very wink wink corny with Cena saying stuff like "this is the last 5 knuckle shuffle" etc but if it made him happy fair enough. Personally I wanted this match to be Gunther beating the piss out of Cena and Cena refusing to stay down, the old Misawa or Kobashi formula of never being beaten, never giving up, always fighting on. What we got was very meh in my opinion, except for the finish which had some brutality and was cool. I don't know how I feel about Cena smiling as he taps out, on the one hand its good "cinema" on the other its poor wrestling, I'm more of a wrestling guy but I recognise Cena deserves his moment, and if that's how he wanted to play it then fair enough. Gunther needs to be pushed to the moon now (even more than he already is). No doubt a legendary career just ended but I'm not sure it was the retirement match he deserved."

[10.0] "This match was legendary. An epic wrestling match with plenty of twists and turns. I wanted to see Gunther make Cena give up: WWE had the guts to do something unimaginable. Cena lost his last match, but it makes sense to pass the torch to the present and the future. Now Gunther is definitely DER RING GENERAL. The crowd was exceptional and that counted for a lot in the match."

[10.0] "I think this is about as close to perfect as it could have possibly been. I don't quite think I know how to feel. Electric crowd, perfect finish, cements Gunther as even more of an inhuman machine than it could have been. If only the rest of the retirement tour was as good as this. Cena going out on his back with a smile and finally tapping out was beautiful and it was the right call."

[3.0] "Good ending but I've hated this match. They've only done the same 7 moves (4 for Cena, 3 for Gunther) again and again and again and again. On one side you have one the most important wrestlers for WWE retiring, on the other you have one of the best wrestlers ever, there was territory to do a really good match on the wrestling side. They could've produced it like an actual match or like an actually good spotfest like they've done for Cena vs Cody at Summerslam or Cena vs Styles. But they didn't, this was unwatchable."

[8.0] "Perfect. The ideal match to end a career; you promote a future talent like Gunther and give Cena a great final match--all perfectly balanced. The match itself was quite physical, with great chemistry between the two wrestlers. A fantastic atmosphere with a tremendous crowd. 8/10."

[9.0] "Im not gonna rate the work rate but this was very emotional rollercoaster. I may not like WWE but John Cena carried my childhood, I knew this wasnt gonna be a 5 star match. I cant believe we are losing Cena and Tanahashi by 2026. Cena I am very grateful for what you have done for the wrestling buisness. This wasnt a 7 star dave MOTY but this was amazing storytelling. Alot of people hate that Cena lost but I believe it was the right choice for Gunther to win. Very fun match."

[8.0] "That was awesome and everything it needed to be. Gunther comes out of this one looking vicious and like a million bucks. Cena played his role perfectly. Gunther being the first one to tap Cena out in more than two decades was perfect, especially how they established those sleeper holds as just wearing Cena down."

[8.0] "This felt really old school. The heat Gunther got was insane, as was the support for the babyface. Cena played the classics and he couldn't beat Gunther, who wore down his spirit with a minutes-long choke. A nice book end to his career, finally giving up and putting over Gunther. The heat he is gonna get from this will be generational."

[8.0] "They went for an epic finish, but that decision to end it with a fucking sleeper hold killed the crowd and shit on the match. I didn't expect Cena to win, but to tap out was bullshit. They put on a hell of a match until that finish, though. God bless you in your retirement, Cena."

[10.0] "Wow, just wow. I cannot even describe the emotions I feel right now. I don't know how to react. This is just insane. John Cena's career is really over. I love Gunther, but man this was just crazy. Still a great match, but I can't believe that John's career is over. 10/10"

[8.0] "Not the workrate match you'd think it'd be but the storytelling was so on point that it was incredible. The ending was saddening with Cena's spirit cracking and him giving up. Cena gave it his all and at the end of the day he couldn't beat GUNTHER. Some great close falls and a crowd on the edge of their seat. [****1/4]"

[8.0] "This match was very good, these guys really put on a very enjoyable main event and Cena gave it his all in his final ever match. People may hate it, but Gunther was a perfect opponent for John Cena's final opponent. The crowd was on the age of their seats during this match. The submission sequence had me afraid on what's gonna happe. I'm shocked Cena actually tapped Cena out, I did love the moment before he tapped he smiled to the camera."

[10.0] "The last one was the last thing we saw from John Cena in his career as an active WWE wrestler, honestly from the beginning regardless of the result, but Gunther still beats him in the last fight, but how beautifully it was played at the end, John Cena, thank you for everything, you are great, you are simply the best, 10/10"

[9.0] "It's not a workrate classic. But it's quite possibly the platonic ideal of a Cena match, in the best way possible. Gunther is a perfect, and I mean, perfect opponent to retire Cena. Sports entertainment vs. professional wrestling, what a perfect feud. And Cena definitely showed out for his last ride into the sunset. I really cannot hate this match at all. Gunther was a perfect heel, Cena the perfect face, and the match was perfectly structured. That's all I can really say. It's the sort of match you can only do in occasions like this, but for an occasion like this? It's in that high echelon of "perfect retirement matches". And, of course, Cena stares at the lights, as he should've, in the end. It's how he needed to go out, to give Gunther the heat he needs to regain his aura. Just a shame the tap-out -- Cena's first in two decades -- felt weak-sauce. Still, a really good match. Enjoy your retirement, John."