After how his final match ended caused uproar, John Cena said his wrestling career ‘died peacefully.’
The WWE legend wrestled the final match of his 23-year career at Saturday Night’s Main Event on Dec. 13. It was a raucous event as generations of fans not just saw the 17-time WWE Champion in the ring one last time, but hoped to see his career end in a win. Instead, Cena lost to Gunther after he tapped out of the sleeper hold.
It was divisive move among the WWE Universe to have Cena close this chapter, with fans unhappy the ‘greatest of all time’ gave up while others said it was poetic ending, noting the smile he had as he tapped out.
Cena spoke with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes on his podcast ‘What Do You Wanna Talk About?,’ released on Thursday, Dec. 18 and related it to the ending of life.
‘As I essentially take my last breath, I have struggled. If you think of somebody, the natural cause of scenario or however we picture loss in our life, all of us have been through it. They struggle, they struggle, they struggle. They hang on just long enough to make sure to say goodbye to everybody that’s been meaningful in their lives,’ Cena said.
In several interviews prior to the night, Cena reiterated he wouldn’t wrestle again and this was definitively it. He added the entire day and match was him having a conversation with the audience about it, and when he connected with everyone, it was time to end it.
‘I think it’s time to take that last breath, and that’s that,’ he added. ‘I hate to keep going back morbidly to obituaries, but like, this person died peacefully.’
When Rhodes said ‘he faced death with a smile,’ Cena responded ‘yes.’
Cena added the ending let people know the business is in a good place and ‘we’re going to be great going forward.’ He again said the whole farewell tour was like saying goodbye to someone for the final time. Rhodes and Cena then agreed it was similar to the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi in ‘Star Wars: A New Hope,’ which Cena posted a photo of on Instagram a day after the match.
‘Thank you for everything, and that in that one moment that was that going peacefully,’ he said. ‘The whole tour, the year story, for me is just the cycle of someone facing the end of their life, the struggles they go with.’
Cena later said it was ‘such an honor’ to have Gunther be his final opponent and he ‘cannot tell you how much respect’ he has for him. His wrestling career may be dead, but it likely won’t be the last time he appears with WWE in some capacity in the future.