Tag: Gunther

Gunther on WWE SNME victory: ‘John Cena tapped out like a little b****’

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

This weekend, Gunther defeated John Cena in the latter’s retirement match. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw opened with a segment suggesting who Gunther’s next opponent might be. 

Gunther came out to celebrate his win, climbing on the announce desk before entering the ring to speak. 

“I did what I said I would do,” Gunther said. “I made John Cena give up. And when he gave up, he tapped out like a little bitch.” 

Gunther then started to leave before returning to the announce desk to repeat his claims.

“I made John Cena tap out like a little b****,” he said. “It is my time now. I will forever be the man that made John Cena give up.”

When he finally went backstage, Gunther was confronted by Raw general manager Adam Pearce.

“You go to the ring against the greatest of all time, you beat John Cena right in the middle, you send him into retirement,” Pearce said. “And then you show up tonight and you walk all over that man’s legacy because you know he’s not coming back. You think you’ve got it all figured out.”

“I do,” Gunther confirmed.

“Doing that, Gunther, does not make you the Ring General,” Pearce replied. “It makes you an *ssh*le.” Pearce then told Gunther he was done for the night and kicked him out of the building. 

Gunther, all too happy to call it a night, approached his car, where he found AJ Styles waiting for him. 

Styles, of course, is one of Cena’s most notable rivals—he lost to Cena at Crown Jewel 2025 in October. 

“Is there anything you want to tell me?” Gunther asked? Styles said nothing, silently gesturing toward Gunther’s car. Gunther drove away, stopping to flash Cena’s “You Can’t See Me” taunt at Styles before cackling and driving away. 

Styles and Gunther have wrestled a handful of times before—Gunther defended the Intercontinental championship against Styles on a pair of house shows in 2022, then defended the World title against him in steel cage matches on a tour of Germany this spring. 

Styles has said that he is close to retirement himself. He could be the third notable wrestler to wrestle his last match against Gunther, joining Cena and Bill Goldberg, whose last match was a loss to Gunther in Atlanta last July. 

WWE Raw live results: Gunther appears after retiring John Cena

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: December 15, 2025
Location: GIANT Center in Hershey, PA 

The Big Takeaway —

Austin Theory is the masked man. 

CM Punk cut a fiery promo on Bron Breakker, repeatedly insulting the intelligence of Bron, as well as Rick and Scott Steiner. Breakker speared him for his efforts at Raw’s conclusion. 

Gunther opened the show and received a ton of heat. He called John Cena a bitch for tapping, and his words were so upsetting that he was kicked out of the arena by Adam Pearce (facing off with AJ Styles as he left). 

**********

Show Recap — 

There was a big video package recapping John Cena’s retirement match and loss to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The video showed Cena’s career flashing before our eyes while he was locked in the sleeper before tapping out. They included the “Thank you, Cena” chants (and only those chants) as the video ended with him walking off. 

Gunther kicks off Monday Night Raw

Gunther walked out to an absolute ton of heat, and he was all smiles. A few fans chanted, “You tapped out,” but it quickly turned into more booing as he tried to speak. 

Gunther stated, “I did what I said I would do. I made John Cena give up! And when he gave up, he tapped out like a little bitch!” 

Gunther dropped the mic and left as the crowd loudly (and I mean loudly) booed. Gunther returned to the ring to pose on the turnbuckle and bask in the heat. He teased leaving again, but instead posed on the announce table with one more statement. 

“I made John Cena tap out like a little bitch! It is my time now. I will forever be the man that made John Cena give up.” 

Gunther continued to smile as he left to a chorus of boos. The camera followed as he walked to the back, where he bumped into Otis and Akira Tozawa. Otis asked if Gunther felt good rubbing it in. Gunther said he did. Gunther then bumped into R-Truth, who called him a piece of trash. Gunther was cool with that. 

Gunther bumped into Adam Pearce next. Pearce was pissed that he was walking all over Cena’s legacy because he knew Cena wasn’t coming back. That didn’t make him the Ring General—that made him an asshole. Pearce told him he was done for the night and to find the exit. 

Gunther gladly left the arena. He bumped into AJ Styles outside. Styles got in his face, but did not say anything. He motioned to Gunther to get in his car. Gunther rolled the window down to give Styles the “You can’t see me” gesture before driving off. 

(It felt like all of these people were overreacting, but Gunther was perfect here.) 

********

Arriving at the arena were The Vision, Stephanie Vaquer, Ivy Nile & The Creed Brothers, and CM Punk. 

The Usos vs. The New Day (w/ Grayson Waller) 

Jimmy and Jey Uso entered and were about to run back their entrance music, but The New Day interrupted.

I believe this was the first time these teams have wrestled each other in three years. 

The New Day took control ahead of an early break, and Jimmy Uso made a comeback as soon as they returned, but a Waller distraction allowed New Day to take over again. 

Jey made a hot tag and missed a Stinger splash, colliding head-first into the ring post. He bounced right back and hit Xavier Woods with a superkick for two. Wade Barrett credited Jey’s “Samoan head” for being able to absorb the damage. Jey followed with a dive and flying crossbody for two, leading to a second commercial break. 

New Day took control again during the break. Jey began his comeback when they returned, but he was tripped by Waller, who was kicked out by the referee. The Usos handed out superkicks to Woods and Kofi Kingston before hitting Woods with a double splash for a nearfall. 

Kingston shoved Jey into the steel steps, and Woods followed with a tornado DDT to Jimmy off the apron. New Day hit their double-team finisher on Jimmy, but Jey broke up the cover. 

Jimmy came back with superkicks before Jey nailed Woods with a spear outside the ring. Jimmy speared Kingston in the ring, and the Usos hit him with 1-D for the pinfall win (Jey pinned Kingston). 

Match result: Jimmy & Jey Uso defeated Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (17:25) 

This match was pretty boring until the finishing sequence. 

******** 

Confirmed for the January 5th edition of Raw: CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker for the world title, and Asuka & Kairi Sane defend the tag titles against Iyo Sky & Rhea Ripley. 

Asuka and Kairi Sane cut a pre-taped promo in Japanese. They accused Iyo Sky of betraying them, even though they loved her, and choosing Rhea Ripley over them. Asuka said they would retain their tag titles on January 5th. 

Byron Saxton interviewed Dominik Mysterio during commercials. Dom was happy to be the last person to beat Cena in a title match. It made him the greatest Mysterio of all time and the greatest luchador of all time. Dom was excited to see Raquel Rodriguez bring more gold home to Judgment Day tonight. 

The Vision meets backstage 

Logan Paul was gushing with Bronson Reed over what they did to LA Knight. Bron Breakker told them Knight was gone and they should focus on CM Punk. Logan agreed, and he assumed the masked man would show up to help. Paul Heyman didn’t know who the masked man was, but they had a lot on their plate, so he would take the help if the masked man was on the same page. 

Breakker pulled Heyman aside to tell him he would take out Punk if he showed up tonight (they already showed Punk arriving earlier). Heyman urged him to wait for January 5th and do it with the title on the line. Breakker wasn’t thrilled with this. Logan calmed him down and asked for his help getting ready for Rey Mysterio. 

********

Asuka & Kairi Sane attack Iyo Sky & Rhea Ripley 

Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley entered, presumably for an in-ring promo. However, Ripley looked back into the crowd to find Asuka, who misted her in the face. Sane wiped out Sky as she checked on Ripley. 

Officials ran down to try to break things up, but Asuka and Sane continued the assault. Asuka held down Ripley for Sane to do the Insane Elbow, but Sky crawled on top of Ripley to take the brunt of the damage. Sky sold her back, while officials checked on Ripley. 

(A good, simple heat segment that felt more spontaneous than the usual angles.) 

********

The second match of the evening began 1 hour and 5 minutes into the show. 

Maxxine Dupri wore all black (with silver boots). Gunther wore all black earlier, and both the Usos (black and silver) and The New Day (black and gold) wore mostly all black gear as well. Ivy Nile had a lot of black, too, but at least her gear had the American flag incorporated into it. 

Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Maxxine Dupri (c) vs. Ivy Nile 

This was a title match between two wrestlers who have one pinfall win between them in the last year, and that one win was Dupri beating Becky Lynch for the title (thanks to interference). The crowd was understandably quiet for it. 

Dupri applied an armbar trapping Nile between the ropes, but she lost the grip, and Nile slammed her into the apron. Nile followed with a safe-looking German suplex on the outside and maintained control through a break. 

Dupri mounted a comeback, but Nile ducked a spinning kick and hit a powerbomb. Dupri responded with a sit-out powerbomb of her own (dropping Nile on her lower back/rear end) for two. There was a moment where Dupri was stuck upside down in the ropes and fired up by dropping her straps, but even that didn’t get much of a reaction. 

Dupri applied an ankle lock, and Nile kept trying to counter, but Dupri blocked every attempt. Dupri grapevined the leg, and Nile tapped out. 

Match result: Maxxine Dupri defeated Ivy Nile to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (9:57)

******** 

Je’Von Evans met with Pearce backstage. Pearce was impressed with his performance at SNME. They were approached by El Grande Americano and the other two. El Grande spoke ill of NXT and Evans, so Evans basically told him to watch his mouth. Pearce suggested a match for next week, and Rayo stepped up for the challenge. Pearce made it official. 

CM Punk promo

Punk stormed to the ring to his music. He was not in a good mood, and he ripped the logo cover off the microphone before cutting his promo. 

Punk said he missed two consecutive Raws because people smarter than him said he wasn’t cleared to compete or fly. What happened to him at WarGames hurt, but it wasn’t as painful as having to listen to Bron Breakker talk. Punk called him a cross-eyed Neanderthal nepo baby. 

Punk recalled Breakker being mad at him for trying to end his career at WarGames. Punk knew brains didn’t run in Bron’s family, and reminded him that he didn’t sign up to play board games. Punk congratulated him on the win, but said Breakker had the audacity to claim it was easy to beat him. 

Breakker wanted the 2011 version of Punk, but Breakker couldn’t beat the 2025 version of him without a lot of help. Breakker got assists from a Brock Lesnar F5, Bronson Reed Tsunami, and Drew McIntyre spitting his head open. Not to mention the masked man. Breakker earned a title match, but he didn’t do it alone. 

Punk has been here many times before. This wasn’t the first time Heyman gassed up a talent too fast, too soon, only to watch him wilt under the bright lights. If Punk had a dime for every time someone not as smart as him gassed up a wrestler to be a future WrestleMania main eventer, he’d have a pocket full of dimes. 

Punk warned Breakker not to mention his wife again, or this would get personal faster than he could run. This wouldn’t be about the belt anymore. Punk would rip his eyes out of his head and piss on his single-digit IQ brain. 

Punk would challenge Breakker to show up alone to fight him for the title, but he knew he didn’t have the balls. Punk invited Breakker to invite the Vision, his dumb father, and his even dumber brother Scott, because he would need all the help he could get. 

Punk would win, and Heyman would leave Breakker to move on to the next next big thing. Meanwhile, Reed would be forced to do TikToks with the YouTube scammer. All Bron would have left was dumb and dumber—his father and uncle—and even with Steiner math, they would realize GTS equalled 1-2-3.

******** 

Judgment Day met backstage. Dom was excited for the Women’s title main event. Liv Morgan said they’d all have a great Christmas, but she wondered where Finn Bálor was. Dom said he was with JD McDonagh, who would be out a while. 

Morgan approached Raquel Rodriguez and was excited to see her become world champion, before she and Roxanne Perez became tag team champions. Rodriguez was pumped up, and she left for the match. 

Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez 

This went through a break, and the crowd was quiet until Vaquer hit Devil’s Kiss. Rodriguez came back with a clothesline before the fight spilled to the outside. 

Nikki Bella suddenly appeared to attack Vaquer for the DQ. Bella laid out Vaquer with “Rack Attack 2.0.” 

Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Raquel Rodriguez via disqualification (8:43) 

********

Pearce wanted Heyman to tell him who the masked man was. Heyman said he didn’t know. It could be Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Nick Aldis, or Bruno Sammartino. Heyman left because he wanted to get Logan ready for Rey Mysterio. Pearce wanted to know the masked man’s identity by the end of the night. 

After Heyman left, Ripley approached Pearce and demanded a match with Asuka. Pearce made it official for next week. 

********

Punk approached Rey backstage and told him he’d have his back tonight. Rey appreciated it. 

Jackie Redmond asked AJ Styles and Dragon Lee about the “throwback” match between The Usos and New Day earlier. Styles appreciated their rivalry, but he and Dragon Lee were the team to beat. Dragon Lee said they would face any team, any time. They left to speak to Pearce. 

Bella approached Redmond because she had something to say. She would not apologize for putting people beneath her in their place. She was sick of these women not respecting the road she paved. Vaquer and Rodriguez should be polishing her boots. 

********

Next week on Raw: 

  • Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez 
  • Je’Von Evans vs. Rayo Americano 
  • Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka 

******** 

Bayley congratulated Dupri on retaining the title, and Dupri said it meant the world coming from her. Durpi showed off her bloody finger, perhaps from losing a nail, so she left to take care of it. 

Lyra Valkyria approached Bayley. Bayley admitted she didn’t feel great losing to someone so much less experienced (she didn’t mention Sol Ruca’s name). Bayley wondered if there was truth to what Asuka said about her. 

Valkyria purposely egged her on by shoving her and saying that wasn’t the Bayley she knew, and called her an idiot. It worked because Bayley fired up and said she would destroy Perez next week. Bayley called Valkyria an idiot and left. Valkyria was happy her plan worked. 

******** 

Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul (w/ Paul Heyman)

Rey played cat-and-mouse with Logan early on and taunted him while doing so. They went back and forth before Rey hit a seated senton off the apron. However, Logan took over during a break after shoving him into the barricade. I think Logan tried a bronco buster of sorts during the break, but he just kind of sat with his crotch in Rey’s face for a few moments before getting up. 

Logan went to the top rope, but Rey cut him off with ten punches and a hurricanrana for two. Rey tried a springboard moonsault, but Logan caught him and hit a running powerslam for two. 

Rey went for a 619, but Logan hit an ill-timed boot to cut him off, followed by the most deliberate three amigos suplexes. Instead of hitting the third suplex, Logan placed Rey on the top rope. Rey fought him off and hit a sunset flip powerbomb. Logan spilled outside the ring, so Rey hit a sliding splash. 

This brought out the Brons, but Punk immediately ran out behind them with a chair. He attacked them with the chair and chased them to the back. Rey caught Logan in a crucifix pin for a nearfall. Logan blocked a hurricanrana and hit an alley-oop facebuster. 

Heyman handed Logan the brass knuckles as the referee checked on Rey. However, Rey tripped Logan and hit a 619. 

Logan dropped the knux, and Rey considered grabbing them. Rey did grab them and placed them on his hand, but the masked man appeared and hit him with a curb stomp. Logan followed with a frog splash for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Logan Paul defeated Rey Mysterio (14:59) 

— The masked man faced off with Logan Paul, but scampered into the crowd upon seeing Punk run down to the ring. 

Punk stood on the turnbuckle as the camera focused on the masked man, who removed his face mask to reveal it was Austin Theory. (The reveal didn’t get a big reaction, but people did chant his name as he stood in the crowd.) 

Punk dropped down from the ropes and was speared by Breakker. 

Breakker grabbed the world title belt. He told Punk that this was business, but if Punk ever talked about his family like that again, he would never walk on two feet ever again. Breakker held the belt up high as the show ended.

Ariel Helwani on John Cena vs. Gunther result: ‘Cena deserved better’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Ariel Helwani is not a fan of how WWE handled John Cena’s final match and how the final year of his career was booked.

Helwani expressed frustration that he would hear from people who say Cena had to lose on his way out, citing it as a time-honored tradition in wrestling. According to Helwani, that way of thinking comes from a bygone era.

Dedicating a significant amount of time to the topic, Helwani said:

“The fan boys will be like ‘No, this is what you have to do, this is what John wanted, this is exactly what he wanted, he wanted to give back to the business.’ And to that I say BS. I say hogwash to that. I say that’s nonsense because that is an ideology from a business that no longer exists. That’s 1970s, 1980s wrestling.”

“That’s not WWE Unreal territory, that’s not the era that we’re living in now.”

“Who wanted to see John Cena lose time and again in the last few months? Got his ass whooped by Brock Lesnar, lost to Dominik Mysterio, loses to Gunther. And not only does he lose in his retirement match, the guy who told us for 20+ years never to give up, not only does he lose, he loses via submission.”

“No, I reject this. This is not what those people wanted. This is not what anyone who was a fan of his wanted.”

Helwani suggested a better ending would have seen Cena win the match, followed by a post-match attack from Gunther leading several of Cena’s allies, including Cody Rhodes, to make the save.

“The match should have never been Cena vs. Gunther to begin with, and the result should have never been Cena losing, and it sure as hell never should have been him tapping.”

The Ariel Helwani Show X account posted a clip of Helwani’s comments along with the following caption:

“No one wanted to see John Cena go out like that. And to suggest it’s a time-honored tradition for him to ‘do the job’ is such a thing of the past. We live in a different era. Cena deserved better. The farewell tour had so much potential. In the end, it feels like fans were left wanting more. I think it was a mistake.”

The full episode of The Ariel Helwani Show from Monday, December 15 is available below.

Jeff Jarrett seemingly reacts to John Cena vs. Gunther finish

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jeff Jarrett has seemingly reacted to the finish of John Cena vs. Gunther from WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.

While he did not mention the match or event directly, Jarrett posted comments on social media shortly after the conclusion of Saturday’s show.

Jarrett wrote:

“Love watching movies when the superhero gets destroyed in the final scene and then dies. Even better is when my favorite sports team not only gets beat but gives up with a smile on their face. Makes me feel good about spending time/money on the night.
Creative is subjective.”

Jarrett also responded to a post from Conrad Thompson, who appeared to praise the finish of the match. Thompson wrote, “I like it. Feels like when Taker’s Mania streak ended. Same feeling for me. What say you: did you like it?” Jarrett responded to the post by writing, “Lol.”

Jarrett was also critical of WWE recently during an interview with Adventure Gamers, where he said WWE under TKO “only cares about Wall Street” while Vince McMahon cared more about wrestling fans.

Jarrett said:

“There has been a paradigm shift in the way they do things. Ari Emanuel is at the very top of TKO and he answers to Wall Street, Vince McMahon, obviously the founder, but also he was the final decision maker in that organization. Believe it or not people, contrary to some people’s beliefs, he answered to the wrestling audience, Ari answers to Wall Street.”

Gunther appearance and more announced for WWE Raw

Posted on by Ian Carey

New additions have been made to the lineup for WWE Raw on Monday.

Coming off his victory over John Cena at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Gunther will be on the show. General Manager Adam Pearce revealed the news on Sunday in his weekly rundown of the Raw lineup.

“The man who will forever be known as the one to make John Cena give up, Der Ring General Gunther will be live on the flagship,” Pearce said.

Also added to the lineup for Raw, Stephanie Vaquer will defend her Women’s World Championship against Raquel Rodriguez.

Previously announced for Raw are the return of CM Punk, The New Day vs. The Usos, Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul, and Women’s Intercontinental Champion Maxxine Dupri defending against Ivy Nile.

Monday’s show will take place at the GIANT Center in Hershey, PA. As of Friday’s edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 6,612 tickets have been distributed to the show.

WWE Raw lineup for Monday, December 15 —

  • World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk returns
  • The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso)
  • Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion Maxxine Dupri defends against Ivy Nile
  • Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against Raquel Rodriguez
  • Gunther to appear

Veteran star calls Gunther ‘the future’ following WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Gunther defeated John Cena at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, earning praise from veteran star The Miz, who labeled the Austrian star “the future” of the company following Cena’s final match.

In the final match of the night at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., fans witnessed Gunther trap Cena in a rear-naked choke, forcing him to finally give up. With the decisive victory tonight, Gunther solidified his top rank in the promotion. Soon after, at the Saturday Night’s Main Event post-show, former WWE Champion The Miz heaped praise on the Austrian wrestler and called him the future.

“Gunther is the future,” The Miz noted. “You look at Gunther, he is the future, whether you like it or not. He is the future of this business.”

“People are like, ‘Oh, he’s in his upper 30s,’ this guy is in his prime. I have wrestled him, I have been in the ring with Gunther, I know how lethal, how damaging he can be.”

He further continued on how Cena did the ‘right thing’ by tapping out to Gunther.

“Think about John Cena’s career, just for one second. Who did he always go up against? The biggest, baddest heel. The guy that is getting booed out of the building is whom ‘Super Cena’ went up against, and normally, he would beat them. And then they would be like, ‘Oh, John Cena beats everybody! I can’t stand him.’ And now, now what happens? John Cena did the right thing; he tapped out and gave up to Gunther!”

Later in the night, Triple H also appeared at the post-show, where he opened up in detail about the promotion’s decision to have Gunther win against Cena.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event live results: John Cena’s final match

Posted on by Jeff Moss

For the final time ever, John Cena will perform in a wrestling ring in the headliner of tonight’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Cena’s retirement tour comes to an end in Washington, DC, as he faces former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther who won The Last Time is Now tournament to earn the opportunity.

The show will also feature several main roster vs. NXT bouts.

In one, reigning WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will face NXT Champion Oba Femi in a non-title match.

Another will see former WWE Women’s Champion Bayley vs. former NXT Women’s North American Champion and former Speed Champion Sol Ruca.

The main show is rounded out by WWE World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defending against TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater & NXT star Je’Von Evans.

Our live coverage begins at 8 pm Eastern.

**********

Here it is, friends. The Time is Up, The Time is Now. John Cena announced his retirement tour last year and it has been quite a ride since then. Heel turns, dream matches, unrealized stories, this run truly had it all. Now, here on this the night of our Lord, Saturday, and the event known as “Main,” Cena will step through the ropes one last time.

So much has been deservedly said about Cena, his contribution to wrestling and his final run in the weeks leading up to tonight, that I don’t feel the need to say much else here. I always saw Cena as a gateway for new fans (and old fans with kids) and I’m pretty sure that’s how his work was meant to be seen. He was the ultimate personality, making money with the people who loved him and making money with the people who hated him. That ability to play both sides is rare in life and even rarer in pro wrestling.

Now, we find ourselves at the end of his career and he’s going out on his terms. Another rarity, especially in wrestling. Nothing else matters up to this point. Like him, hate him, whatever, it’s now all about this last match and going out in style in one of the rare events that has the eyes of the entire industry. An event that reminds us that we as fans are a community. We look to share these experiences (and then rant about them on the internet) with each other and mark the history and work of Wrestler, Actor, Jorts Enthusiast and GOAT-contender, John Cena.

-Leading into the official start of the show, Lillian Garcia gave one hell of a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and the scene moved into footage of a very hyped crowd. Everyone was doing the “you can’t see me” gesture from attendees to merch sellers.

HBK, Johnny Gargano, Trish Stratus, Kurt Angle Mark Henry, actor Jon Berenthol and raper Metro Boomin’ were all shown in the crowd and backstage. Then, a GOAT-themed video retrospective of Cena’s career aired. WWE has always been #1 in all of sports and entertainment when it comes to these video packages and this one was no different.

Fireworks exploded around the arena at the video’s end and the traditional Wrestlers Arriving To Work footage was shown for the undercard matches. Gunther arrived to a smatering of boos and Stephanie McMahon was at the hosting desk with Joe Tessitore.

Stephanie gave Cena his flowers for including the up and coming NXT talent tonight and asked if we were ready. Spoiler: We were.

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. NXT Champion Oba Femi

Femi won the chance to face Rhodes by re-acquiring the NXT Championship from Ricky saints at Deadline. He also defended the title against Je’Von Evans on Tuesday’s episode of NXT, so he’s been busy. This will be Femi’s first Main Roster match and if you’ve seen him in NXT, you know that it will definitely not be his last. Rhodes has been Undisputedly Championing since August when he took the title from the Man of The Hour, John Cena at Summerslam.

The only thing in the ring bigger than Femi was Cody’s neck tattoo as the two locked up in a feeling out process. Femi usually overpowers his opponents and Rhodes was no exception, with Femi throwing him into the corner. Rhodes came back with a headlock though, showing Femi he’s got some strength and agility as well.

Femi picked Rhodes up while the headlock was on and Rhodes tried to quickly zip around Femi, but he was caught by the throat. Femi landed a backbreaker as he methodically started picking Rhodes over. Femi whipped Rhodes into the corner and Rhodes started throwing punches.

Femi didn’t like that and he picked up Rhodes and tossed him across the ring. Rhodes dodged a charge and went for a powerslam, but Femi blocked it and hit a powerslam of his own. Every time Rhodes threw a kick or shot at Femi, the NXT Champion just shook it off and delivered one of his own.

Femi hit another backbreaker and pulld Rhodes to his feet. He hoisted him up, but Rhodes rolled out. Femi charged and Rhodes dodged it, sending him into the ringpost. Femi staggered back and Rhodes hit that powerslam and then a Cody Cutter, but Femi kicked out at two.

Rhodes tried another cutter but Femi caught him. Rhodes twisted Femi to the outside and went to diave afater him, but Femi caught him with an uppercut on the way through. Femi charged in the ring again, but Rhodes pulled down the top rope, sending him outside to land a suicide dive on the outside.

Back in the ring, Rhodes came off the ropes again, but Femi caught him and hit a spinbuster. Femi scooped up Rhodes, but again, Rhodes dropped out of it. Femi clotheslined him over the top rope. Femi went to the outside and hit a sprinting European uppercut onto the announce desk, busting Rhodes open.

Back in the ring, Femi planted Rhodes with a chokeslam, but only got a two count. Rhodes was bleeding profusely from the ear, sparking fears of a broken eardrum. Femi tried another pop up, but Rhodes countered it into another Cody Cutter.

Suddenly, Drew McIntyre showed up and started punching Rhodes. The ref called for the DQ and Femi grabbed McIntyre, very mad that his match was interrupted. Femi showed no fear, shoving him to the mat. Then Rhodes hit a cutter on McIntyre and Femi put the exclamation point on it with a chokeslam.

Match Result: Cody Rhodes vs Oba Femi went to a no contest after Drew McIntyre interfered

After the match, Rhodes picked up the NXT title and handed it to Femi, with both champions standing tall and celebrating.

That was a great match with a really disappointing ending. Rhodes is always at his best when he’s fighting uphill and Femi looked dominant against the veteran champion. Killer stuff until the interference, which I get (gotta protect those guys!) but at the same time, I really hope they get to finish that match one day.

-Next a video package with more celebrities like Peyton and Eli Manning, Snoop Dogg, and Jimmy Fallon wishing Cena well aired. An package featuring the likes of Tom Brady, Lil Yachty Vanessa Hudgens, and Jimmy Kimmel aired earlier.

-Back from break, more accolades for Cena from Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Bayley, Rey Mysterio Jr, Charlotte Flair, Jey Uso, Stephanie McMahon, and a tearful CM Punk via video package. Tyreese Haliburton and Chuck Zito were shown in the audience.

Bayley w/Lyra Valkyria vs Sol Ruca w/Zaria

Much like her fans, Bayley just kinda wanted something to do. That turned out to be competing against anyone from NXT at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and it was none other than former NXT Women’s North American and Speed Champion, Sol Ruca. The match was made on the Dec. 5 SmackDown and last Tuesday on NXT, Ruca invited her BFF Zaria to the Saturday Night party, which was nice of her. Bayley stopped to hug WWE vets Trish Status and Eve Torres on her way to the ring.

The bell rang and they locked up. Bayley managed to get a headlock on off the top and transitioned to a waistlock takedown. Ruca tried to roll her over, but Bayley kept her cook and went for a whip wristlock. Ruca turned it into a cartwheel and Bayley started working Ruca’s arm.

Ruca took down Bayley with a flipping ‘rana headscissor that really pleased the crowd. Bayley went back to the arm, but Ruca countered it into an X-Factor. Bayley rolled to the outside to recover, and lured Ruca to the ropes. When she got there, Bayley hung her up on the ropes and the fight moved to the apron.

Ruca kicked Bayley to the ground and went for a flip from the apron, but Bayley moved and she hit the floor. Bayley threw Ruca back into the ring and the two searched for a pin with neither getting one. Ruca planted a kick in Bayley’s face and sent her back to the outside. Ruca hit a handspring over the top rope and landed right on her.

Ruca put Bayley back in the ring and went for a springboard splash, but Bayley moved and hit a front suplex, hitting Ruca’s head on the second turnbuckle. Bayley took control from there with a knee to the back of Ruca and a high knee to the face. Bayley charged Ruca in the corner, but Ruca stepped away and hit a series of back elbows.

Ruca got up on the top rope and walked it into a DDT for a two count. She went for another springboard, but walked right into a Bayley to Belly suplex. Bayley hung Ruca up in a tree of woe and delivered a running elbow.

Ruca came back with a kick and a backslide, but Bayley transitioned it into a rose plant, but Ruca countered it with a shining wizard of sorts. Ruca went for a springboard, but Bayley caught her in another Rose Plant. Bayley made the pin, but Ruca’s foot was on the rope, forcing a break.

Bayley hit a back suplex and went up top to hit a big elbow, but Ruca got her knees up. Ruca scrambled up the turnbuckles and hit a Sol Snatcher, but Bayley rolled it through into a pin attempt. Ruca did the same and shockingly got the 1-2-3 to win the match!

Match Result: Sol Ruca defeated Bayley

Bayley approached Ruca after the match and shook her hand. All four in the ring did the Cena saulte and Zaria and Ruca hugged.

That was fun! Very cool to see Ruca get the quick win over Bayley. Especially when you consider that Bayley is an NXT OG and Ruca is a star in the making. Great stuff.

-Next, Sheamus, Rob Van Dam, Corey Graves, Becky Lynch, Micheal Hayes, Cameraman Tom Stewart, Micheal Cole, Cody Rhodes, Undertaker, and The Rock all wished Cena well via video. Michelle McCool and Rob Van Dam were also shown in the audience along with Sami Zayn. Cole also mentioned Corey Graves, JBL, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and Taz as colleagues who’ve called icon Cena matches with him over the years.

WWE World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater

Why is this match happening? Who cares! World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Dragon Lee vs Je’Von Evans and TNA X Division Champion Leon Slater is a collossal clash of wrestling’s past and it’s future. If you’ve never seen Evans, dude be bouncy. Like, really bouncy. Slater is the current X-Division Champion in TNA, a title and division that was literally defined by Styles. Styles has said repeatedly that his time in wrestling is growing short, so maybe this will be the start of his own retirement tour.

Evans and Slater did not waste time, Superkicking Lee and Styles to the outside and diving after them. The speed was about 100 mph as Slater and Evans traded splashes on Lee in the ring. Evans and Slater isolated Lee in their corner and tagged in and out, delivering splashes, kicks and forearms.

Lee managed to kick he way free and pulled the top rope down to sent Evans to the outside. Slater came in through and tried a clothesline, but somehow Lee countered and worked it into a sit out powerbomb.

Evans and Styles made tags and Styles hits a leaping forearm and then a neckbreaker. Slater tried to interfere and took a slam. Styles went outside and Evans followed via moonsault, but not one was home. Lee hit a flying Rana on Slater, sending him into Styles’ arms, but Evans stopped him before he coult hit a Styles Clash.

Back in the ring, Evans hit a massive cutter from about 15 feet in the air, followed by a swanton 450 from Slater. Slater went for the pin, but Lee broke it up. “This is awesome” chants were loud and plentiful.

Lee hit a big dive on Evans on the outside and Slater set up Styles in the ring, but Styles reversed it, trying to get a clash on. Slater wiggled free, but couldn’t get away from the Phenomenal Phorearm. Unfortunately, Styles slipped on the top rope and couldn’t land it.

Slater went up top, but Styles caught him into a Styles Clash and that was it. Styles pinned Slater to get the win.

Match Result: Dragon Lee and AJ Styles defeated Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater

Great match, I love it when the WWE guys get a chance to speed things up and Evans and Slater are all about speed. Lots of high spots with big moves and a solid finish.

-Next, after showing a litany of tweets from pro sports teams congratulating Cena, Kane, R-Truth, The Miz, Big E, Kofi Kingston, Alexa Bliss, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn and Xavier Woods all thanked Cena in video messages.

-When we came back from break, they threw to Stephanie McMahon and Joe Tessitore at the Host position. However, you could see someone in the ring behind them, who interrupted with an “Aaaaaawwwwwsome!” It was the Miz, being mad about being left out of all the celebration for Cena, since he beat him at Wrestlemania. That brought out R-Truth who said that Miz stole someone’s oppourtunity in the Last Time Is Now tournament.

Truth handed Miz the ball with the name of the person who’s spot he took. Miz opened it and said the name “Joe Hendry.”

As is legally required, his name was said and he appeared! Truth believes in Joe Hendry and Hendry took out Miz. Truth and Hendry then hit a stereo 5-Knuckle Shuffle on Miz. Hendry hit a Standing Ovation and Truth counted to three. They did the wave and posed as the segment ended.

-A “Thank You Cena” video package aired that rivaled the “My Sacrifice” vignettes from way back in the day. It touched on Cena’s accomplishments, his relationship with his fellow wrestlers and the impact he’s made in people’s lives.

Then, the lights went out and Gunther made his way to the ring. While he was walking down the ramp Cole noted that Cena has not tapped out in 20 years. Gunther actually got out of the ring after his entrance to allow Cena his moment.

Cena’s music hit and the crowd exploded. He walked out of the entrance ramp and took it in as the crowd sang along word for word with his music. Even Cena looked surprised by this. He took the camera off the shoulder of Tom Stewart and gave him his thanks. Cena then threw his towel into the audience and sprinted to the ring for the last time.

The Last Time Is Now: John Cena vs Gunther

During his retirement year, Cena had faced the likes of Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Logan Paul, R-Truth, Dominik Mysterio and more. Now hes up against one of the best in the world, the Ring General, Gunther. Gunther defeated NXT’s Je’Von Evans, Carmelo Hayes, Solo Sikoa and, LA Knight in the Last Time Is Now tournament for the right to face Cena. Gunther notably also retired Goldberg earlier this year, so beating Cena would be another notch on his considerable belt.

Cena looked emotional as he got out of the ring and thanked all the WWE legends that were at ringside including Kevin Owens, Meng, and Booker T before getting back into the ring and throwing up his signature hand gestures.

LIllian Garcia did the introductions, her voice shaking as she announced “the greatest of all time, never seen, seventeen, …for one final time, the last real Champion, John Cena.”

Cena tossed his hat and shirt into the crowd and the bell rang. They locked up collar and elbow, with Cena breaking free. Gunther then stepped out of the ring, playing mind games and trying to calm the crowd. There would be no calming though as he stepped back in and started throwing European uppercuts.

The crowd went with a “F*ck You, Gunther” chant, which actually seemed to rattle the Austrian a bit. He continued punching Cena though, knocking him to his knees with some chops. Gunther scooped slammed Cena, then whipped him into the corner.

Gunther went for a chop and Cena caught it. He threw hands at Gunther and then laied him out with some shoulder tackles and a back breaker. Cena then looked to the audience and called for the 5-Knuckle Shuffle. He executed it perfectly and the crowd went nuts.

Cena went to hoist Gunther into the AA, but Gunther countered and turned it into a suplex. He drove a knee into Cena’s face and locked in a tight sleeper hold. Cena flipped out of it though and locked in an STFU. Gunther was far from the ropes and as the crowd went berserk he slowly crawled his way there.

Cena broke the hold before Gunther could get to the ropes and Gunther kicked him off. He then powerbombed Cena, leaving him flat in the ring. When Cena got up, Gunther clotheslined him back down.

After every strike, Gunther made the ref check Cena, promising that he was going to make Cena give up tonight. A third clothesline repeated the process as Gunther talked trash. A fourth clothesline from Gunther, but Cena got back up. That led to a fifth clothesline, shades of Brock Lesnar and his suplexes.

Cena ducked the sixth clothesline and began to rally with a shoulder block. He hit a second 5-Knuckle Shuffle and nailed an AA. Gunther, however, kicked out at two. Cena grabbed Gunther for another AA but Gunther got out of it and locked in a sleeper in the middle of the ring.

Cena powered out of it and put a sleeper of his own on Gunther. Gunther squirmed and wiggled until his foot touched the rope and Cena had to break the hold. Gunther slid out of the ring and Cena followed, only for Gunther to backdrop him on the ring apron (the Cena-est part of the ring!).

Gunther then threw Cena into the steel steps and dragged the other set up against the announce table. He mocked Cena for the crowd atop the stairs and then went back for Cena himself. Gunther dragged him up the steel steps and cleared the table.

Gunther set Cena up for a powerbomb, but Cena countered and hit an AA, sending Gunther through the table!

Cena threw Gunther back into the ring for a cover, but Gunther kicked out. The two lay in the ring, exhausted. Cena got to his feet first though and went up top for a big leg drop. Gunther kicked out at two though.

“You’ve still got it!” chants broke out, but Cena quieted the crowd and asked if they wanted one more 5-Knuckle Shuffle. As it turns out, they did, so Cena did that, but before he could land it, Gunther popped up and superkicked him. Gunther then hit a powerbomb, but Cena kicked out.

Gunther went up top, but Cena met him there with an uppercut. He grabbed him and set him up for a seccond rope Avalanche AA, but Gunther refused to go down and kicked out at two.

Both men got up and started trading potatoes in the middle of the ring. They went blow for blow until Cena ducked one and tried another AA. Gunther countered it with a powerbomb though and went up top. He hit a massive frog splash, but Cena kicked out at two.

The crowd chanted for “Super Cena” as Gunther showed frustration and locked on another sleeper. Cean started fading as he sank down to the ring apron. He found his guts though and stood back up, peeling Gunther’s arms from around his neck.

Gunther reset and Cena started to fall back to the mat. Cena powered out again and tried for another AA, but Gunther just put that sleeper right back on. Cena dug deep and stood, with Gunther leaping onto his back for leverage.

Cena kept his wits though and drove Gunther back into the corner. Gunther ran back at him though and put him back in the sleeper. Cena, as billed, would not give up and sent Gunther back again. This time. when Gunther charged, Cena hit another AA. Gunther kicked out though and immediately put the sleeper back on.

Cena clenched his fists as the crowd chanted “don’t give up!” Gunther wrapped his legs around Cena’s body and the ref checked Cena’s arm. Two fell, but ont he third, Cena raised his fists and powered back. Gunther started pummeling Cena’s chest with elbows before putting the sleeper on yet again.

Then John Cena shocked everyone by tapping out, giving Gunther the win.

Match Result: Gunther defeated John Cena

Shots of the astonished crowd were shown, a scene I haven’t seen since Lesnar broke The Streak. Gunther laughed as he walked from the ring, leaving Cena sitting in the middle of it.

The crowd showed their displeasure, chanting “bullsh*t” at the ending.

Cena for his part though, stayed calm. He patted the ring gently as the chants changed to “thank you, Cena.”

He stood in the ring and thanked everyone, saying “that’s all I’ve got.” He bowed as the crowd applauded.

Triple, H, Stephanie, HBK, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Undertaker, Bruce Pritchard and the producers and workers in the back came out. The crowd screamed “you fu*ked up” at them.

Rhodes and Punk laid their title belts on Cena’s shoulders and the crowd applauded for him. The rest of the locker room surrounded the ring as Cena held the titles high amongst the “thank you, Cena” chants.

Cena played with the crowd, hoisting the titles around the ring to great cheers. He gave the belts back and Triple H grabbed Cena for a big hug. He pointed to the big screen and a video package began to play.

While Cena watched, picture in picture, It recapped Cena’s greatest moments and featured comments from his Mom and Dad, his colleagues, his rivals and his never ending quest to give time to every kid, fan and person out there.

The shocking part was that Vince McMahon himself was included speaking about Cena in the video. It was from an old interview, but it was still a surprise to see VKM on WWE TV in any capacity.

Cena took one more bow after the video’s end, surrounded byt his colleagues, friends, and fans. He slowly stepped out of his shoes (showing off his “U CANT SEE ME” socks) and laid his wristbands next to them in the middle of the ring.

With that, he walked up the ramp, touching as many hands as possible. He stopped at the entrance and took it in for a moment. With one final salut, Cena said “it’s been a pleasure serving you all these years” and walked through the entrance.

The show went to black as a true era ended. With all that said and done, there’s only one thing left to say on behalf of wrestling fans, journalists, and workers:

Thank you, Cena.

Gunther says he is ‘proud’ to be John Cena’s final opponent

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Gunther is proud he’ll be John Cena’s last opponent.

Speaking to People, The Ring General said that he feels his upcoming match against Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event represents a passing of the torch moment, noting he is part of a new wave of WWE stars.

“Obviously it’s a big deal and I am proud to be in that situation,” he said. “I came up in Europe and took a different route to WWE than everybody else and I represent a little bit of the new wave of wrestlers to have come into WWE recently. I guess if you compare it like that, it really is a passing of the torch match because it’s two different styles and two completely different generations. It makes me proud to be the guy that got picked for that.”

Gunther also pointed out a big difference between himself and Cena: while the latter considers himself a sports entertainer, Gunther says he has always seen himself as a professional wrestler.

“It’s undeniable: He’s the greatest of all time,” he said. “He’s the greatest sports entertainer of all time. And that’s how I always saw myself as different.”

After being off television since SummerSlam, Gunther returned to WWE television last month to take part in the tournament to determine Cena’s final opponent. He won the tournament last Friday, defeating LA Knight in the finals.

Wrestling Weekly: John Cena’s last match, Gunther & AEW Dynamite upsets

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Les Thatcher and Victor Sosa return on a new Wrestling Weekly to talk John Cena’s last match.

Gunther said something on WWE Raw that gave Vic an idea about one way to go with the match. We look at the rest of the SNME card with WWE vs. NXT and some upsets that took place on AEW Dynamite.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

John Cena confirms retirement match will headline WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Any speculation over the card placement for John Cena’s final match appears to be over.

With retirement just one day away, Cena stopped by The Pat McAfee Show for an interview on Friday. Cena confirmed that, as of now, his match against Gunther is scheduled to close the show at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. Cena said he doesn’t know where the idea that he’ll be opening the night came from. It would be difficult for him to even conceptualize his match starting the show.

“I was on Jimmy Kimmel, I said I’m ending the show. I said I normally go to bed early but I’m going to stay up late for this one. I guess people didn’t read between the tea leaves. Like, we’re last,” Cena said. “I don’t even know how that started. It’s difficult to conceptualize that [going on first]. Again, I don’t make the menu. And if — gosh, if I show up tomorrow and they want me to go on first, well, that’s what I’m going to do. But we are last [at] this point.”

The Saturday Night’s Main Event special is taking place at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. and will stream live on Peacock starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. Gunther was confirmed as Cena’s final opponent through winning WWE’s Last Time is Now Tournament.

NXT talent will be featured on the undercard in exhibition matches against main roster wrestlers, which was Cena’s idea to help spotlight some of WWE’s best up-and-coming stars.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (December 13) —

  • John Cena’s retirement match: John Cena vs. Gunther
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Oba Femi
  • Bayley vs. Sol Ruca
  • AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater

Gunther has ‘different expectations’ for John Cena than Goldberg WWE retirement match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Gunther is entering this weekend with higher expectations than the last time he retired a pro wrestling legend.

At WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, Gunther will serve as the opponent for John Cena’s final match. It’s an opportunity for Gunther to retire both Cena and Goldberg in the same calendar year. Though Gunther was pleased with how that July bout against Goldberg went, he expects to have a better in-ring match against Cena.

“Goldberg, I was very pleased with the outcome of that, I think,” Gunther told the New York Post. “Obviously, I had different expectations in that match than I have with the match on Saturday. I’m expecting, obviously, a little bit more out of that because John is such a way more skilled wrestler than Goldberg was. He was very limited in what he could do. So, very different scenarios I think.”

Gunther added that he believes he and Goldberg delivered the best match they could given the circumstances. Even in Goldberg’s prime, he didn’t have the biggest repertoire of moves and instead had two or three things he did really well.

Cena’s final opponent was determined by WWE’s Last Time is Now Tournament, which concluded last week with Gunther defeating LA Knight in the finals. There was not any time for Gunther and Cena to have a promo segment together before Saturday Night’s Main Event — and Gunther regrets that he was not able to go back and forth with Cena on the mic.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Gunther responded when the New York Post asked if he would have liked to have a promo exchange with Cena. “He’s, like, maybe the best on the mic to ever do it — or one of the best. People can argue whatever they want about those things, but he’s definitely in the top category. So it would have been good for experience-wise to get the chance. Didn’t work out, it’s fine. It is what it is. I’m more focused on the match anyway.”

Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. will be the venue for Saturday Night’s Main Event. The show streams live on Peacock starting at 8 p.m. Eastern.

WWE star Gunther feels like he’s found ‘sweet spot’ with weight loss

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE star Gunther feels like he’s found the “sweet spot” with his physique.

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Gunther detailed losing approximately 60 pounds around the time he was called up to the WWE main roster. Gunther said he’s since gained a little bit of that back and now feels like he’s found where he’s supposed to be with his weight.

“I dropped, I forgot, 50 pounds, maybe? 60 pounds at one stage,” Gunther said. “I always felt like, I’m a heavyweight wrestler. I never minded my look. Athletically, I always felt good. I always had good stamina and stuff like that. But at some point before I came to the main roster, I was like, it’s time to adapt a little bit. Bring the best version of myself to national television. I gained a little bit again since then, and I think I found my sweet spot now.”

Gunther was a big fan of Japanese heavyweight wrestlers growing up and always loved that style of competition. After weight loss, he had to make some changes to his in-ring style.

“Yeah, a little bit,” Gunther said about changing up his repertoire. “The upsides were I felt way lighter and moved even better and stuff. But then, yes, certain things that you do that you did with much more weight on, I did it when I was lighter, I was like, ‘Ohh, something’s missing here. Maybe I can’t do that anymore.’ But, yeah, that’s — live and learn.”

Gunther has one of the biggest moments of his career coming up this weekend at Saturday Night’s Main Event, where he will be the opponent for John Cena’s final match. He’s looking to retire Goldberg and Cena in the same calendar year.

Gunther ‘hated’ John Cena when watching WWE as a fan

Posted on by Joseph Currier

At WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend, Gunther has the chance to retire someone he once “hated” watching as a fan.

Gunther stopped by ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday for a media appearance to promote John Cena’s final match. When asked how the WWE locker room views Cena, Gunther said he has not had many interactions with Cena personally. Gunther claimed that he did not like watching Cena as a fan, framing their matchup as one between a pure wrestler and a sports entertainer.

“I mean, I can only speak for myself. And I haven’t really — I shook hands twice with him, I didn’t really have any interactions with him otherwise,” Gunther said. “I just remember when I started wrestling, like 20 years ago now, I remember that I hated that guy in jorts on that TV week by week. And I always thought it doesn’t belong in the ring.

“So I’m a big purist, I’m a big traditionalist. And I said it on Monday, John Cena’s definitely the greatest sports entertainer of all time. But I’m the greatest professional wrestler there is right now, so that’s going to be the conflict.”

Gunther already defeated Goldberg in his retirement match this year and now has the chance to do the same to Cena. He was confirmed as Cena’s last opponent by defeating LA Knight in the Last Time is Now Tournament finals last week on SmackDown.

During the First Take interview, Gunther was asked if there are any names from the past that he wishes could compete in today’s WWE. He named Kurt Angle and the late Eddie Guerrero as legends he’d love to have around.

“I think Kurt Angle would be great if he would still be here, always somebody that I really enjoyed watching,” Gunther said. “Or somebody like Eddie Guerrero. I think those would be guys that come to mind that would be great to have around right now.”

WWE Raw live results: Gunther speaks ahead of John Cena’s final match

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: December 8, 2025
Location: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO 

The Big Takeaway —

Gunther wants to make John Cena give up, The Usos are back in the tag division (and have a date with The New Day next week), and Raquel Rodriguez is next in line for Stephanie Vaquer’s world title. 

Logan Paul beat LA Knight with help from the masked man before The Vision seemingly wrote Knight off television. Bron Breakker had another message for CM Punk. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Raw started with a video package highlighting the John Cena tournament, culminating with Gunther beating LA Knight in the finals on Friday. 

Gunther kicks off Monday Night Raw

Gunther entered wearing all black and was roundly booed. The boos turned into chants for John Cena as Gunther egged them on. 

Gunther said he would be the final opponent for the greatest sports entertainer of all time, but Cena would be facing the greatest professional wrestler of all time. 

Gunther called Cena the man who never gave up. But beating Cena wasn’t enough. He would break Cena’s spirit, bully him, drop him on his head, wrap his arms around his neck, and squeeze until the last bits of hustle, loyalty, and respect left his body. 

There was only one way out, and Cena would do the one thing he said he never would: give up. 

Gunther dropped the mic and left. 

********

Rey Mysterio, Lyra Valkyria & Bayley, AJ Styles & Dragon Lee, Stephanie Vaquer, and Iyo Sky & Rhea Ripley were shown arriving earlier today. 

Oba Femi was shown in the front row with his NXT Championship belt, and they plugged his (non-title) match against Cody Rhodes on Saturday Night’s Main Event. 

Iyo Sky (w/ Rhea Ripley) vs. Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane (w/ Asuka)

Sky was about to go for a dive, but Asuka leaped on the apron to block it (as Sane distracted the referee). Sky went after Asuka, but Asuka dropped the rope, and Sky spilled out of the ring. Ripley confronted Asuka, and Sane used the distraction to knock down Sky with a leaping forearm off the apron. (There was another distraction spot during the break, and Ripley decided not to do anything about it this time.) 

Sky fought back when they returned from break and hit a springboard missile dropkick and corner meteroa for two. Sky set up for a moonsault, but Sane quickly went up to block it and followed with a double foot stomp for two (as Sky held herself upside down in the corner).  

Sane tried a back drop on the apron, but Sky landed on her feet. Sane didn’t notice, so Sky gave her a German suplex on the apron. Sky followed with an Asai moonsault. 

Sky set up for her moonsault in the ring again, but yet another Sane distraction allowed Asuka to interfere again, this time by knocking Sky off the top rope. Ripley had enough and dumped Asuka into the timekeeper’s area. 

Sane failed to take advantage of the distraction, and Sky hit a moonsault for the pinfall win. Sane leaped into Ripley’s arms to celebrate. 

Match result: Iyo Sky defeated Kairi Sane (11:34) 

A perfectly good TV match, and the crowd was into Sky (and Ripley).

******** 

Logan Paul approached the rest of the Vision backstage. He asked if they didn’t see Rey Mysterio smack him in the face last week. Bronson Reed said he didn’t like it. Bron Breakker seemed unperturbed. Logan wanted something to be done about it. The Brons stood up and said they would handle it tonight. Logan was glad. 

Logan pulled Paul Heyman aside and said he wanted the situation handled tonight. Heyman assured him that, for the first time in his life, he had backup. Logan was cool with that, but wanted them to know he was their backup if needed. Heyman was happy to hear that, but handed him brass knuckles, just in case. 

(Normally, it’s stupid when these stablemates seemingly don’t speak to each other when they’re not on the show, but it’s believable that the Brons don’t talk to Logan in their free time.) 

******** 

Mysterio walked through the back and walked by Adam Pearce, who was off to the side, arguing with The New Day. 

There was a Cena video package about the ‘you can’t see me’ hand gesture. 

There was a War Raiders video package. 

********

Rey Mysterio / Logan Paul / LA Knight segment 

Mysterio made his way to the ring (presumably to face Finn Bálor) but was decked from behind by Logan Paul. Mysterio fought him off and set up for 619, but was attacked from behind by the masked man. The man superkicked Mysterio and hit a curb stomp before being chased away through the crowd by security. 

Mysterio slowly got to his feet, but Logan knocked him out with the brass knuckles. 

LA Knight ran out to his music, and Logan bailed. Knight said he would have an aneurysm if the masked man really was Seth Rollins. Knight wanted to stomp his head in. Knight said he thought the Vision couldn’t suck anymore, but then Logan joined them. 

Knight was pissed off, and it didn’t help watching Logan attack a legend like Mysterio. Knight said Logan would pay, not on Friday or Saturday, but tonight in KC. Knight said “Yeah” over and over as the fans sang along. 

The crowd was really into Knight here. Knight vs. Paul was made official after a break. 

******** 

The announcers congratulated Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on being nominated for a Golden Globe for best male actor. 

Je’Von Evan was shown in the crowd. Evans and Leon Slater will face AJ Styles and Dragon Lee on SNME. 

World Tag Team Championships: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. The War Raiders

Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Grayson Waller watched the match at ringside. 

Erik and Ivar blocked early dive attempts by Styles and Dragon Lee. Erik drove Dragon into the barricade, and Ivar squished Styles into the side of the ring ahead of a break. 

They worked over Styles until Dragon Lee got a hot tag and ran wild after a break. With Erik hanging upside down in the ropes (holding himself up), Dragon Lee hit a double foot stomp—a spot we saw in the opening match. (It’s ok to repeat spots, but not that one.) 

There was an ill-advised spot where Dragon Lee hoisted Ivar up on his shoulders for something, but he collapsed. The crowd cheered as Lee hoisted Ivar up again on his shoulders. He stumbled again, and Ivar tried to make up for it by pretending to counter. Dragon Lee tried it a third time and hit an accidental DVD that didn’t look like much. (The crowd was very forgiving.) 

Lee continued to fight off both men on his own until Ivar powerslammed him outside the ring. Ivar followed with a moonsault, but Styles just barely broke up the cover. Erik got a two count on Styles with a knee strike. 

Moments later, Styles used a hurricanrana to bring Ivar off the top rope, and Ivar collided with Erik on the way down. Dragon Lee wiped out Erik with a dive, and Styles hit Ivar with a Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall win. 

(This wasn’t the smoothest match you’ll ever see. It certainly wasn’t boring.) 

Match result: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defeated The War Raiders to retain the World Tag Team Championships (11:22)

The New Day and Waller approached Styles and Lee in the ring when Jey Uso’s music hit. The Usos entered together, and they ran the music back as the other men in the ring patiently waited. 

Jimmy Uso had a big announcement: The Usos were back in the tag division. They’ve been getting hit hard the past few months. They lost at WarGames and Wrestlepalooza. Jey lost his world title and lost in the Cena tournament. Jimmy saw his brother crashing out and knew he had to do something. He called Jey in the middle of the night and asked him what they would do about it. 

Jey said they would get back to us. They would block the noise, body them all, and put the tag team on notice. The best damn tag team was now in your city. “We need gold. We need gold, Uce.” 

The Usos meant no disrespect to the current champs, but said Styles and Lee didn’t know the Usos. But the New Day did. The Usos got in the faces of Kingston and Woods and compared their rivalry to Ali vs. Frazier and The Rock vs. Stone Cold. (This confrontation might’ve meant more if New Day weren’t ice cold.) 

The Usos turned their attention to Styles and Lee until New Day tried to attack them from behind. The Usos decked Kingston and Woods. (Waller bailed.) 

The Usos faced off with Styles and Lee as the segment ended. 

********

There was a Cena video package on his feud with The Rock. 

SNME card (start time 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT): 

  • John Cena vs. Gunther — Cena’s retirement match 
  • Bayley vs. Sol Ruca 
  • World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater (non-title) 
  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. NXT Champion Oba Femi (non-title) 

********

Stephanie Vaquer segment 

Jackie Redmond interviewed Stephanie Vaquer in the ring, although Vaquer quickly took the mic to speak on her own. Vaquer said she wanted to face everyone. She didn’t talk much, but she spoke with her actions. She was the best—and not because of Devil’s Kiss. 

Vaquer said Nikki Bella was a legend, but the women’s division was different than what it was 15 years ago. They had Ripley, Bayley, Natalya, Iyo Sky, and they were all amazing. Vaquer asked Bella if she knew who was on top. 

Bella interrupted. Bella called herself a legend, a Hall of Famer and a celebrity, and she was not done with Vaquer. Bella demanded a rematch. 

Raquel Rodriguez suddenly hopped the apron, effortlessly yanked Bella off the apron, and lawn darted her into the ring post. (That was a great spot, but Rodriguez didn’t get much of a reaction.) 

Rodriguez confronted Vaquer. She told her to name the time and place so she could kick her ass and take the title. 

******** 

Byron Saxton interviewed Ivy Nile during a break, and she appeared with the Creed Brothers. Nile has an IC title shot against Maxxine Dupri next week. Nile didn’t care that Natayla, her old friend, was training Dupri. She said Dupri would drop the ball just like the KC Chiefs did yesterday (the crowd booed). 

(Nile hasn’t wrestled on Raw since June, and her last televised win was over a year ago.) 

******** 

The Judgment Day met backstage. Bálor was happy he had an easy night after Mysterio got laid out. 

Morgan was surprised that Rodriguez didn’t run her plan by her. Rodriguez said she didn’t realize she needed to. Morgan played it down and said it was cool. She wanted to see Rodriguez become world champion. Rodriguez was content and left to talk with Pearce. 

Morgan turned her attention to Roxanne Perez and said they could be the next tag team champions. 

********

Sol Ruca was shown in the crowd. It’s been almost 30 minutes since the previous match ended.

Lyra Valkyria (w/ Bayley) vs. Roxanne Perez (w/ Liv Morgan)

Morgan distracted the referee so Perez could rake Valkyria’s eyes as she set up for her finisher. Bayley knocked Morgan down, so Perez kicked Bayley down. 

Perez countered a roll-up attempt and shoved Valkyria into the ropes. Morgan was still down on the apron, but alert enough to kick Valkyria in the face (and the ref just simply wasn’t watching). 

Perez took advantage of the interference and hit Pop Rox for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Roxanne Perez defeated Lyra Valkyria (10:15) 

They were having a nice match until the finishing interference sequence, which looked pretty bad. We also saw tons of interference in the first match, but the heel happened to win this time. 

********

Kingston and Woods cut a promo during commercials. Kingston mocked Jey for losing his smile, and Woods said they would bury the Usos under their own penitentiary next week. 

There were clips from a John Cena interview. He spoke about the ‘you can’t wrestle’ chants. They were spawned from him winning matches with the same five moves every night. He seemed to take it to heart and decided to do more stuff. Over time, he worked with the likes of Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and AJ Styles to teach him stuff and do better. He didn’t resist the audience’s chants; he used them to get better. (Full interview is on WWE.com.) 

They aired the Dupri/Natalya training video again. Or maybe it was a new one. Joe Tessitore said he was impressed with Dupri’s level of training based on this dimly lit video. 

******** 

LA Knight vs. Logan Paul (w/ Paul Heyman)

Logan gave Knight a cheap shot as he entered the ring, and the ref decided this was a good time to start the match. Knight fought back anyway and cleared the announce table before bouncing Logan’s head off of it repeatedly. Knight was in control until Logan hit a Zig-Zag for two. 

Logan maintained control through a break and hit an alley-oop facebuster when they returned. Knight fought back with a leaping clothesline, Russian leg sweep, and neckbreaker for two. 

Breakker and Reed marched out as Knight set up on the top rope. Logan used the distraction to knock Knight off the top and hit a clunky-looking flying crossbody for two. Knight countered a gut-wrench slam and hit a reverse DDT, followed by a flying elbow drop. 

Knight knocked Breakker off the apron, but was knocked down instead by Reed. The referee eventually figured out what happened and ejected the Brons from ringside, but they didn’t immediately leave. 

Knight attacked Logan by the announce desk as the referee tried getting rid of the Brons. The distraction allowed the masked man to fly in and give Knight a curb stomp on the announce desk. 

Logan followed with a frog splash in the ring for the pinfall win. 

— The Brons attacked Knight after the match. Breakker speared Knight, and Reed hit consecutive Tsunamis. 

Match result: Logan Paul defeated LA Knight (12:44) 

Officials and medical staff rolled Knight out of the ring as the Vision stood tall. 

Heyman grabbed a mic and started his promo as they went to a commercial break. (Heyman told a stagehand that he would still be talking when they returned, and he was.) 

Heyman put over his guys before stating that Bron Breakker would beat CM Punk for the world title on the anniversary of Raw’s debut on Netflix. The crowd chanted for Punk. 

Breakker grabbed the mic. He wondered where Punk was. He wasn’t wondering where Punk was physically—he wondered where the CM Punk was. He didn’t buy this new, nice guy CM Punk. All of a sudden, Punk returned and was the nicest guy ever. He followed the rules and took pictures with the young talent just to post them on social media for people to see what a nice guy he was. 

Breakker repeated a joke we’ve heard before, saying Punk preached about being straight edge, but still looked like the biggest crackhead anyone has ever seen. 

Breakker didn’t want to face the nice guy because he could beat that guy easily. He wanted the old Punk. The guy from 2011-2013. The guy who walked the halls as a feared man. The guy who beat The Rock. (Punk never beat The Rock.) The guy who held the world title for over 400 days. The guy who was one of the greatest wrestlers to lace up a pair of boots. 

Breakker was on his hands and knees, begging for the old Punk. He wanted to beat the greatest superstar ever to lace up a pair of boots. Otherwise, he would destroy Punk and send him to the hospital. He would break Punk, take his championship, and while he was at it, take his wife, too. 

Breakker wanted to keep it simple for Punk: it would be spear, one-two-three. Spear, one-two-three. Spear, one-two-three. Spear, one-two-three. 

A camera showed Knight in the back getting to his feet, so Logan and Reed ran back to deal with him. Knight fought them off and punched a security guard, too. It was all too much for Knight, so Reed slammed him through a table. 

Reed and Logan were about to leave, but Knight wouldn’t stay down. They slammed Knight into a car and placed him on the roof. Reed climbed atop some stacked-up equipment boxes and gave him a Tsunami onto the roof of the car. Pearce appeared with officials and screamed for medics as the show ended.

Gunther sends message to John Cena ahead of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Ian Carey

Gunther says John Cena will “give up for good” at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

On Sunday, Gunther posted a video to Instagram featuring comments he made immediately following his submission win over LA Knight in the finals of The Last Time is Now tournament on SmackDown.

In the video, Gunther says:

“Hey John, did you see that? I told you, pay attention. At Saturday Night’s Main Event, finally, you will give up. You’ll tap. You will give up for good.”

Gunther made Knight tap out to a cravat submission on Friday’s show. Two other matches for Saturday Night’s Main Event were also confirmed on SmackDown, with Bayley wrestling Sol Ruca, and Cody Rhodes declaring he’d wrestle the winner of the NXT Championship match at Deadline, which ended up being Oba Femi.

Saturday Night’s Main Event next week takes place at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. As of Friday’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 16,483 tickets were out for the show, with a little under 800 remaining.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event lineup | Saturday, December 13 | Washington, D.C.

  • John Cena’s Final Match: John Cena vs. Gunther
  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. NXT Champion Oba Femi
  • Bayley vs. Sol Ruca