Tag: Saturday Night’s Main Event

Title match announced for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez are getting a Women’s Tag Team title shot at WWE’s next Saturday Night’s Main Event special.

The January 24 edition of SNME will see Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend their newly won belts against Judgment Day’s Morgan & Perez. That was made official on Raw today with Morgan & Perez winning a triple threat match to become the new number one contenders.

The Kabuki Warriors and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria were the two other teams in the number one contender’s match. Asuka & Kairi Sane were looking to get another shot at the belts after dropping them to Ripley & SKY last week, but Morgan ended up pinning Sane for the victory. Sane did not notice that Morgan had tagged in — and Morgan capitalized on that by hitting Oblivion while Sane was focused on Perez.

Montreal’s Bell Centre is hosting the January 24 SNME special just one week before the Royal Rumble takes place in Saudi Arabia. Airing live on Peacock, this is the first SNME since John Cena retired on the show in December.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (January 24) —

  • Fatal four-way number one contender’s match for WWE Championship shot at Royal Rumble (competitors to be determined by qualifying matches)
  • Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend against Judgment Day (Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez)

Lilian Garcia thanks John Cena: ‘You truly are the GOAT’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Lilian Garcia is reflecting on John Cena’s final match.

On social media, the long-time WWE ring announcer said announcing Cena’s last match on Saturday was an honor, thanking him for his contributions.

“What an honor @JohnCena to not only have announced your final match last night but your matches throughout your career! You truly are the GOAT. Thank you for the memories & your dedication,” Garcia wrote.

Prior to Saturday, Garcia said she was nervous about being part of Cena’s final farewell, but excited at the same time.

“Am I nervous about this? Of course, you get nervous,” she told TV Insider at the time. “I always say nerves are a good thing because it means you care. Nerves and excitement actually create the same energy. It’s about turning those nerves into excitement. I’m very excited. I’m going to do everything I can to put everything into that announcement. Just really solidify the fact that he is the ‘Greatest of All Time.’ He is an icon. I’ve been amazed at everything he has been able to accomplish and his legacy.”

Cena wrestled Gunther in his last-ever wrestling match, coming up short after submitting to The Ring General’s sleeper hold. After the match, the entire WWE locker room came out and applauded Cena as a video played highlighting his career. After it was over, he made his exit, pausing at the stage to make one final salute to the audience before heading to the back.

Garcia also performed the United States National Anthem before the start of Saturday’s show in Washington, D.C..

Triple H says WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event broke multiple records

Posted on by Ian Carey

According to Triple H, Saturday Night’s Main Event broke multiple records.

In a post to social media on Sunday, Triple H announced that Saturday’s show at Washington’s Capital One Arena was the highest grossing WWE arena event ever and the highest-grossing event of all time for the venue.

Triple H wrote:

“Thank you @CapitalOneArena! Tonight’s #SNME was not simply the highest grossing @WWE arena event ever, but highest grossing event ever at Capital One Arena.”

Capital One Arena in Washington, DC is also home to the NHL’s Washington Capitals, WNBA’s Washington Mystics, NBA’s Washington Wizards, and the NCAA Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball team.

According to a post by WrestleTix, 19,176 tickets were distributed to the event. Dave Meltzer noted in Friday’s edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the event was expected to bring in more than 4 million.

Meltzer wrote:

“We don’t have an estimate, although it’ll be well above $4 million. And the reality is they underpriced tickets, not overpriced, given the secondary market average ticket price sold as of two days before the show is $866.98, so they were getting double and triple face value.”

The lowest ticket price to get in as of Friday was over $300, but Wrestletix noted on Saturday that some new seats had been added for around $230.

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.

CM Punk says he’s ‘not going anywhere anytime soon’ following John Cena’s final match

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

CM Punk has opened up about his own retirement plans moments after John Cena’s final WWE match.

On December 13th, 2025, at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C., Gunther defeated Cena to put an end to his career. Soon after, at the post-show, CM Punk was asked by Big E about his own retirement plans. Big E stated that Punk had previously mentioned his own career being near the end rather than the beginning, and asked if he wanted a similar event like Cena’s finish.

“When I make allusions to the end of whatever my career is going to look like, it’s not because I feel like I’m there,” Punk added. “It’s because I look back at the entirety of my career and there is a lot more road behind me than there is in front of me.”

“Trust me, I am the champion for a reason, and I’m here to stay, and nobody’s going to change that. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

Further speaking at the post-show, Punk also commented on Cena’s retirement and admired his legacy.

“John [Cena] has always taken what the task was and made it better and knocked it out of the park, and that’s admirable. To watch him go into the sunset with such class and dignity is such a rare thing.”

CM Punk comments on working with John Cena during his retirement tour

At the same post-show, CM Punk also opened up in detail about how ‘fun’ it was working with Cena during his retirement run.

“It was a ton of fun. You can make what you want from John Cena selling his soul, saying it wasn’t the right idea. He obviously made amends and apologized to the fans; he’s a Jedi again.”

Cena and Punk faced each other at Night of Champions 2025, where the 17-time World Champion successfully retained his title.

Joe Hendry makes surprise appearance at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Joe Hendry made a surprise appearance at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, confronting The Miz during a segment that took place moments before John Cena’s final match against Gunther.

The appearance took place during a segment featuring Stephanie McMahon, who was reflecting on Cena’s career before being interrupted by an unhappy Miz. The former Intercontinental Champion complained about not being selected as Cena’s final opponent.

Shortly after, R-Truth interrupted The Miz and accused him of an inappropriate act involving Nick Aldis’ “balls.” Truth accused The Miz of entering the competition and excluding someone else from the Last Time Is Now tournament. As The Miz took the ball and read the name, it said Joe Hendry.

Hendry appeared immediately and engaged in a small brawl with The Miz, which the former TNA World Champion won. Truth and Hendry proceeded to hit a 10 knuckle shuffle on The Miz. Hendry then performed a Standing Ovation to ‘pin’ him in the middle of the ring while Truth acted as the referee.

In the main event of the show, Gunther defeated John Cena as the veteran finally gave up and tapped out, to finish his career.

Former WWE and Hollywood stars in attendance for John Cena’s final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Several Hollywood stars, former WWE legends, and current roster members were in attendance at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., to witness John Cena’s retirement match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Among those seated ringside were several WWE veterans, Michelle McCool, Mark Henry, Eve Torres, Sami Zayn, Trish Stratus, Kurt Angle, and Rob Van Dam. The event was also attended by Hollywood actor Jon Bernthal and music artist Metro Boomin.

The show also featured the return of several iconic WWE personalities, including Jesse Ventura, Michelle McCool, and Eve Torres, marking a rare gathering of notable names from different eras.

The majority of the names present in attendance for Cena’s final bout share a vivid history with him. Kurt Angle, Henry, and RVD are widely remembered for their iconic rivalry against the 17-time World Champion, while Eve Torres once shared a storyline romantic angle with Cena.

Earlier in the night, several WWE and non-WWE pro-wrestlers and veterans also made sure to pay their respect to Cena.

Following a career spanning over two decades and multiple title wins, he is now scheduled to headline Saturday Night’s Main Event against Gunther.

Ric Flair pays tribute to John Cena before final match

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Ric Flair paid tribute to John Cena on social media ahead of Cena’s final match, joining several WWE legends in honoring the 17-time world champion.

Sharing a post on social media, Flair sent a message to Cena ahead of his retirement match on Saturday Night’s Main Event. The WWE Hall of Famer wished Cena luck before his match against Gunther, as well as shared some kind words for him.

“John Cena You Have Represented The WWE, Our Business, Our Brand,” Flair wrote. “Congratulations On A Phenomenal Retirement! Good Luck Tonight Man! I Will Make Sure The World Is Watching, Well At Least In Tampa! Please Know That You’re One Of A Kind, And It Will Be Light Years Before Anyone Replaces You. Even Though Vince Put An End To Us Hanging Out Together On The Road, You Will Be A Hero To A Lot Of Us Forever! Kick Ass & Never Look Back! WOOOOO!”

Earlier this year at WrestleMania 41, Cena defeated Cody Rhodes to win his 17th World Championship and broke Flair’s long-standing feat of 16 World title wins.

Cena is now scheduled to headline Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C. against Gunther.

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.

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

Fight Game: Will Eddie Kingston ever win the big one in AEW?

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and I return with a brand-new Fight Game to discuss some of the most interesting topics in pro wrestling this week.

After doing our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down segment, we hit on our major topics of the week which included:

  • Jack Perry replacing Darby Allin in the Continental Classic
  • Speedball vs. Kyle Fletcher
  • If Eddie Kingston can win the big one
  • John Cena’s last match and the full SNME card

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

John Cena match placement still in flux for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

John Cena will have his retirement bout on WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend, but where that match will be placed is still unknown.

Recently, an update had emerged that Cena was set to open the show in Washington, D.C. However, according to our Bryan Alvarez on Thursday’s Wrestling Observer Live, Cena’s match placement on the show is still in flux.

“They could open with anything they want on Saturday night. The day the show is going to come, someone may say, ‘You know what? What are we doing? Let’s put the John Cena match on last.’ All I can tell you is 100% the idea was 100% that John Cena’s match was going on first,” Alvarez noted. “Now, whether it does, we’ll find out the day of the show. There are a lot of arguments for and against.”

“John Cena wants to go on first. It’s John Cena’s retirement match. He wants to open the show. He has said this publicly. He has said this privately. Whatever everyone else’s arguments are about where the match should take place, John Cena wants to go on first.”

Alvarez also noted that Cena did not want the show to revolve around him and always wanted to showcase the NXT performers.

“John Cena legitimately wanted NXT wrestlers on the show so that they could be showcased for his final appearance, his final Saturday night’s main event. He said this countless times, ‘I don’t want this show to be about me. I am going to have my final match on this show, but I want this match to be a springboard for other people as well.’ And so in his mind, he wants to open the show so that the NXT wrestlers can be seen as the main eventers.”

On the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event show, Cena will face Gunther in his final match while Cody Rhodes takes on NXT Champion Oba Femi, Bayley faces rising NXT star Sol Ruca, and Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater challenge AJ Styles & Dragon Lee for the WWE World Tag Team titles.

Update on John Cena vs. Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Ian Carey

John Cena will have all the time he wants at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Our own Bryan Alvarez wrote to his subscribers on X that with Cena vs. Gunther scheduled to open the show, and the event having no set runtime, Cena will have as much time as he needs.

Alvarez wrote:

“At this point, there is no set runtime for Saturday Night’s Main Event, so everyone will get all the time they need. Cena vs. Gunther is currently scheduled to open the show and Cena will get as much time as he wants.”

Dave Meltzer also addressed Cena vs. Gunther opening the show in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, noting that since the show is airing only on Peacock in the United States, and not NBC, they are not confined to a hard out at 10 p.m. Eastern, as they were for Goldberg’s retirement match in July.

Meltzer wrote:

“The plus is they will have full time for the match to go as long as it should and to not rush the post-match. The bad is that tons of people will tune out after the Cena stuff is over. Also, not being on actual television there is no hard “out” at 10 p.m. as they can go as long as they want.”

Saturday Night’s Main Event is set for the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. The updated lineup for the show is below.

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

  • John Cena vs. Gunther
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Oba Femi
  • Bayley vs. Sol Ruca
  • World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defend against Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater

Lilian Garcia ‘excited’ and ‘nervous’ for role in John Cena’s last WWE match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Lilian Garcia is hoping to make John Cena’s final ring introduction a special one for fans and Cena himself.

With Cena’s retirement match taking place on WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Garcia is tasked with doing the introduction. She told TV Insider that she’s both excited and nervous for the opportunity. Her goal is to properly celebrate Cena as the greatest of all time.

“For sure,” Garcia responded when asked if she’s nervous for the moment. “It has been exciting. Am I nervous about this? Of course, you get nervous. I always say nerves are a good thing because it means you care. Nerves and excitement actually create the same energy. It’s about turning those nerves into excitement. I’m very excited. I’m going to do everything I can to put everything into that announcement. Just really solidify the fact that he is the ‘Greatest of All Time.’ He is an icon. I’ve been amazed at everything he has been able to accomplish and his legacy.”

Garcia said this is a full-circle moment for her since she remembers announcing Cena at a live event back in the day when he was “The Prototype.” Throughout his run, Garcia remembers Cena as someone who has been very focused on delivering what he has to do.

Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. is hosting Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend (December 13). It will be Cena vs. Gunther at the show, with Gunther having earned the spot through winning WWE’s Last Time is now Tournament.

Garcia signed a new two-year contract with WWE a couple of months back. Along with her SNME role, Garcia has done ring announcing for WWE-AAA specials.

“I get to do Saturday Night’s Main Event and got to do Worlds Collide with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide and do that in Spanish. It was new for me. I never announced in Spanish,” she told TV Insider. “Even when we did shows in Mexico, I’d host the show in Spanish. So you would hear me do all the in between and talk to the crowd. But when it came to me saying, ‘The following contest is scheduled for one fall…’ That was always done in English.

“Now this whole show is done in Spanish. I had to learn all these new wrestling terms in Spanish. It has been a new challenge. Watching the Mexican wrestlers, wow. And you never know what’s to come with WWE and what’s new and added. It’s so great to be part of the fold.”

SNME is streaming live on Peacock this Saturday with a start time of 8 p.m. Eastern.

John Cena wanted to do 200 dates in final WWE year

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

It has been a busy year for John Cena as his career nears its end, but not nearly as busy as he had originally planned. 

In an interview on WWE’s YouTube channel with Tom Rinaldi, Cena said he had originally planned to work 200 dates in 2025, including house shows. “Just to say goodbye to everybody,” he said. “I wanted to try to go everywhere from Perth, Australia, to Mid-Hudson Civic Center, you name it, I wanted to go everywhere I’ve been to just say ‘thank you’ to everybody. 

“And the WWE came back and said ‘Nah, we only need 36 [dates].’”

Cena made it clear how much thought and planning he had put into his schedule, only to learn that the WWE wasn’t interested in running house shows anymore.

“I came to them with pitch decks and specs and ‘this is what I think the projected revenues are,’ not just talking WWE story out of my butt,” he said. “Like ‘Hey I think this is a good business plan’ and they said ‘That’s not our business.’”

“But it got us to here and this is a pretty cool spot to be in.”

Cena’s final match is set to take place at Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend. He will face Gunther after he won a touranment, defeating LA Knight in the finals on SmackDown.