WrestleMania 33: 10 Best Moments
4. John Cena Pops The Q
John Cena’s marriage proposal was wrestling’s worst kept secret ahead of WrestleMania 33. His and Nikki Bella’s rivalry with The Miz and Maryse was built around scathing criticism of their relationship’s circumstances, and as soon as the heels start ripping into Cena for not proposing to Nikki already, this moment was inevitable. Nobody was surprised when John produced a ring and took to one knee on Sunday night, but it worked.
It was corny, cheesy, and gratuitously sentimental, yet it succeeded. Somehow, despite all the telegraphing, Cena held everything together, even when it looked like he was on the verge of tears. The proposal immediately destroyed everything that Miz and Maryse had criticised him for, and when Nikki said “yes,” it was the ultimate victory over their rivals.
The match itself wasn’t great, but it didn’t need to be. It was designed to be little more than a setup for the proposal, and the double-pin finish set the stage perfectly. The proposal was clichéd, and probably made a big chunk of the audience throw-up in their mouths, but it was the best possible conclusion for this particular story.