6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Saturday Night's Main Event (13 December - Results & Review)

1. Cena Goes Out On His Shield

Throughout his entire retirement year, one thing became clear: John Cena no longer had it in him to deliver an epic wrestling match without a ton of smoke and mirrors.

Then Saturday Night’s Main Event happened.

For one night, Cena and Gunther delivered a true, big fight that had all the drama and emotional investment that could possibly be mustered. Of course, they were bolstered by a molten crowd that didn’t want the match (and Cena’s career) to end.

Cena endured a beating from the Ring General, absorbing chops, German suplexes, powerbombs, and a top-rope splash and still kicking out. He delivered his Five Moves of Doom twice (a third attempt at You Can’t See Me was thwarted) and hit a cluster of Attitude Adjustments, but he couldn’t keep Gunther down. Even an AA through the announcers’ desk and an Avalanche AA weren’t enough to defeat him.

Finally, Gunther went all-in on the sleeper, repeatedly locking it in and wearing Cena down. Big Match John fought up several times and even hit a desperation Attitude Adjustment, but Gunther popped up behind him like a horror movie villain and put him in another sleeper. Cena finally faded and tapped, giving up and closing out his in-ring career.

If you watched the match on mute, you probably thought this was a good – but not great – match. But with the sound turned up, it sounded like a WrestleMania main event. That’s what you want: fans living and dying with every moment.

For Cena, this was perhaps the best it was going to get, and he gets to go out with a truly memorable send-off.

Thanks for the house.