WWE
John Cena’s time is up.
The 17-time world champion officially retired from WWE after
losing his final match against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event, ending a
career that began more than 23 years ago.
Cena’s farewell has been a bumpy ride, full of numerous missteps
that threatened to derail the entire operation. But when it came down to
Saturday’s show, Cena went out on his terms, on his back, in a well-received
match against Gunther.
Throughout the show, everyone and their mother got to weigh
in on what Cena meant to them and to wish him well in his retirement. The bland
comments from celebrities and wrestlers alike grated, but it’s unfortunately one
of those things where you almost feel compelled to record something like that.
Cena’s send-off was not the only game in town, as three
developmental acts received spotlight matches against main roster superstars, and
all of them took advantage of that opportunity. There’s little doubt that all
of them will make an impact on the main roster at some point in the near
future.
Overall, this was as good of a retirement-themed show as you
could imagine, with the biggest negatives being a lot of nonsensical fluff and
a lack of conviction when it came to booking one of the NXT-versus-WWE matches.
Let’s get to it…