5 big takeaways from John Cena's last match: Sorry, folks — WWE made the right call

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John Cena put a bow on his legendary WWE career at Saturday Night’s Main Event from the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Saturday night. While the evening balanced exhibition matches between established talent and some of WWE’s next crop of stars, each of the four matches emphasized the organization’s rising talent.

As we move onto life after Cena — and a not-so-surprising loss to Gunther — here’s five big takeaways from one of the year's most-debated nights.

1. John Cena was always going out on his shield

John Cena wrapped up his career with a submission loss at the hands of Gunther, a fitting end to one of the most accomplished careers of all-time and a proper hand-off to the next generation.

Gunther was vicious and relentless. Each time he thought he had Cena down and out, Cena dragged himself to his feet, fighting off sleeper-holds left and right like the fighting champion he is. Fans chanted even “Super Cena” as the 17-time world champ did his best Rocky Balboa impression, refusing to stay down for the count and inspiring hope even in the most bleak of circumstances.

Cena did everything to carry the weight of his final match, leading the audience in unison with moves like his Five Knuckle Shuffle and a strong, arena-wide “You can’t see me!" He refused to give in until his body simply couldn’t endure any more. And as fans chanted “Don’t give up,” Cena finally did.

It’s a massive opportunity for Gunther, who has been plagued by inconsistent booking in 2025. Since tapping out at the hands of Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41 and having a surprisingly competitive match with Pat McAfee, Gunther had seemingly been removed from his post as an unstoppable monster.

But when rumors began floating out there that Gunther would be Cena’s final opponent, the conclusion more or less wrote itself. Despite fan sentiment in the building on Saturday, emphasized by a less-than-cheerful response at the appearance of WWE Chief Creative Officer Paul Levesque, this is exactly what Gunther needed.

Now the challenge is to not drop the ball.

Gunther has beaten the fan-favorite in his swan song. He should be mercilessly booed every arena he walks into. It’s up to him — and creative — to make this result matter and build on his standing as WWE’s ultimate bad guy. Heck, put Levesque by his side in a nice callback to the Attitude Era and the evil boss having his corporate champion. I’d love to see WWE lean all the way in here.

2. Oba Femi, welcome to the big time

On a night designated to show off the top rising talent in NXT, there was perhaps no stronger performance than that of Oba Femi. As Femi swaggered his way down to the ring and the audience serenaded him with “Oba” chants, he commanded a certain type of attention designated for WWE’s can’t-miss stars.

A match against the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes, offered the biggest test of Femi’s career to date, a proving ground of sorts that signaled how far he is along in his maturation process. Femi looks ready-made in every facet of his game, from his mic skills standing in the ring across from Rhodes during Friday night's "SmackDown" to how he pieced together his match on Saturday’s big stage.

Femi presents as a long-term alternative to the Brock Lesnars of the WWE universe, an absolute monster in the ring who understands how to make himself look even bigger than he actually is. Rhodes deserves a heaping of credit as well, selling for Femi and providing spots to make him look every bit the part of the future star he is.

Drew McIntyre interrupting the match and causing the disqualification protected both champions, and now sets Femi on a trajectory toward a future showdown with McIntyre. I can’t emphasize enough how little I thought of those two in the ring together previously, and how excited I am now to eventually see it.

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3. The Miz gets his moment

The Miz not getting on the John Cena retirement card at all felt like a big miss. When he hit the ring and spoke about being an afterthought, his words rang true.

A disgruntled Miz being confronted by R-Truth, and later Joe Hendry — someone who was outspoken about seeking an opportunity to share the ring with Cena at some point — was a perfect use of the trio.

Some comedic relief ahead of Cena’s last run to the ring set the stage nicely for what was to come. My only hope is that this impromptu match didn’t eat into time for Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater to do their thing earlier in the night.

4. Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater are bouncy

Speaking of Evans and Slater, the duo made the most of their time, springing from the opening bell to get the audience on their feet. They superkicked AJ Styles out of the ring and took turns taking flight. First, Evans dove out onto Styles, then Slater knocked Dragon Lee out of the ring and dove over the turnbuckle.

The extreme pace of things didn't allow the audience to truly soak in each of the wild spots, as chants started and quickly died out. I couldn’t tell if that was solely due to the two stars being hyped up to be in the moment, or due to the limited amount of time they had for their match, which seemed to wrap just as things were getting going.

Evans and Slater have high-flying abilities unlike anything we’ve seen before, and it was a great opportunity for them to showcase that on such a stage. It also might be time for Cody Rhodes to retire his diving cutter after the elevation Evans showed with a stunning spot on Styles.

Styles and Slater went back and forth in the ring, and ultimately it was the former champion catching Slater to hit the Styles Clash for the pinfall victory. Despite the loss, it amounted to a perfect exhibition showcase that provided visibility into just how talented these guys are.

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5. Sol Ruca gets a statement win

It’s clear how strongly WWE feels about the potential of Sol Ruca, as evidenced by the unique opportunity to wrestle on Cena’s final show against a former world champion and one of the leaders of the women’s division, Bayley. And if Saturday was any indication, Ruca is well positioned to be one of the next rising stars to hit the main roster.

Ruca has pure athleticism, and Bayley fed her the opportunities to show just how talented she is over and over again. Ruca was the star of the early half of their showdown, blending a mix of technical ability with unreal spots. A slight misstep midway through the match didn’t derail things, and if anything it showed Ruca’s ability to navigate uncertainty.

When the opening match of the show progressed Rhodes’ rivalry with McIntyre, I genuinely expected Ruca to suffer a heel turn from her tag partner, Zaria. Instead, the match was a competitive back-and-forth where Ruca won clean. Ruca likely heads back to NXT next to navigate her partnership with Zaria, while Bayley and Lyra Valkyria attempt to climb the ladder in the main roster’s tag-team division.