John Cena's quest to conquer his final challenge in the WWE ended on Saturday Night's Main Event in Washington D.C., as his in-ring career drew to a close. The legendary wrestler faced off against Gunther, a two-time world heavyweight champion who had earned the right to take on Cena by winning the Last Time Is Now Tournament.
As Cena stepped between the ropes, Gunther wasted no time in launching his attack. He unleashed a barrage of Attitude Adjustments on Cena, including one through the announce table. Despite Cena's best efforts, Gunther proved to be too much to handle.
In a moment that stunned the sold-out crowd at the Capital One Arena, Gunther finally put Cena in a sleeper hold and forced the 17-time WWE champion to tap out. The boos rained down on Gunther as the fans were left in disbelief.
After the match, WWE superstars and chief content officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque made their way to the ring to congratulate Cena on an incredible career. Cena bowed in the ring and saluted the fans for all they'd done for him over the last 25 years.
Cena's retirement tour this year had started at the Royal Rumble, where he finished as the runner-up in the match. He then went on to win the Elimination Chamber match to face off against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. He stunned fans with a heel turn that drew comparisons to Hulk Hogan, but he was back to his beloved babyface persona by the summer.
He and Rhodes battled one last time for the title at SummerSlam, and he also had matches with Punk, Styles, Logan Paul, Brock Lesnar, and Dominik Mysterio throughout the year.
