This is going to be a heartfelt episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, for on this show we will see John Cena have his final match to solidify his wrestling retirement. Live in Washington, DC, we will see “The Greatest of All Time” John Cena take on “The Ring General” Gunther in the GOAT’s final match! The WWE Champion Cody Rhodes takes on the NXT Champion Oba Femi one-on-one! Bayley faces NXT’s Sol Ruca! Also, World Tag Team Champions Dragon Lee and AJ Styles face off against NXT’s Je’Von Evans and the TNA X Division Champion Leon Slater! Check in for the live recap of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event tonight at 8 PM ET on Peacock. Hit F5 or refresh as often as you like for the latest updates.
Joe Tessitore welcomes us to the show. Superstars and legends like HBK, Johnny Gargano, Trish Stratus, Kurt Angle and Mark Henry are all here backstage to see Cena has his final match. We get a video package defining what is means to be a G.O.A.T. – the Greatest of All Time – and John Cena fits the description. HUGE PYRO goes off in the arena after the video. We see tonight’s competitors walking backstage, and Gunther gets the biggest boos. Joe Tessitore is joined by Stephanie McMahon, basically the person who overheard John Cena rapping in a bus on a European tour, pitched for him to bring that to TV, and that helped launch John Cena’s career! “Are, you, READY?!?”
The 2-time Undisputed WWE Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes kicks off the first match of the night, and Lilian Garcia is the ring announcer! The 2-time NXT Champion “The Ruler” Oba Femi follows next to a good ovation, and the crowd chants his name. Michael Cole and Wade Barrett are ringside doing commentary for this emotional evening. Dan Engler is the referee for the first match.
* Cody Rhodes {Undisputed WWE Champion} vs. Oba Femi {NXT Champion}
[non-title champion vs. champion match]
The lock up collar-and-elbow, and Femi pushes him off. The lock up again, Rhodes with a side headlock, hammerlock, and he ducks a backhand swing. Cody with the side headlock again, Oba pushes him off, Cody goes for the drop-down, but Femi grabs him and picks him up for a backbreaker. Femi beats him down in a corner with forearms and elbows, hammer throw across the ring, Rhodes fights back, Femi gives him a big biel across the ring, Rhodes goes for a powerslam but it’s blocked, and Femi body slams him followed by a 2-count.
Oba gives him a delayed backbreaker, covers for 2, clotheslines him from behind, Cody lands on his feet from a back suplex, side-steps him in a corner, and Femi collides with the ringpost. Cody hits a flying forearm, hits the snap powerslam, hits the Cody Cutter, covers, and gets 2.5! Oba falls to the floor, punches him to block the suicide dive, Cody lowers the ropes on the other side, connects with the suicide dive, Oba comes back with a spinebuster, and gets a near-fall. Femi picks him up, Cody slips off, hits the drop-down uppercut, Oba dumps him out the ring, charges and hits a running European uppercut over the announce table! Rhodes is immediately bleeding on his right ear. Oba gets him back into the ring, plants him with a choke slam, and covers for a near-fall. Cody lands on his feet from a pop-up, hits the super CODY CUTTER, and gets 2.9! Drew McIntyre runs in to attack Cody Rhodes, causing the disqualification!! WINNER by DQ: CODY RHODES.
Femi gets in McIntyre’s face for ruining his match, McIntyre talks smack to him, and Femi shoves him on his ass! Rhodes hits McIntyre with the Cody Cutter, and Femi plants McIntyre with the CHOKE SLAM! Cody hands Oba his NXT Championship, raises his hand as a good sport, and both champs aren’t happy with that interference, but they still shake hands out of respect.
We get a video package of many celebrities congratulating John Cena on his final match before his in-ring retirement. We also get a video of several WWE superstars giving their words and thoughts on how Cena has helped them in their careers. Tyrese Haliburton and Jon Berenthal are shown in the crowd.
Bayley comes out next, hugging Trish Stratus and Eve Torres at ringside, and Lyra Valkyria accompanies her to the ring. Sol Ruca heads out next with Zaria accompanying her. Jason Ayers is the referee for this match.
* Bayley vs. Sol Ruca
Bayley gets her in a side headlock to start, switches to a rear waistlock, Ruca reverses, Bayley takes her down with the headlock, wrenches the arm, and Ruca cartwheels to escape. Bayley goes back to the arm, Ruca walks on her hands, and backflips into a headscissors. Bayley goes for a hiptoss, Ruca lands on her feet, and hits the X-Factor. Bayley gets her out the ring, goes for the dropkick through the ropes, Sol avoids it, avoids the sweep, backflips off the turnbuckle, Bayley side-steps her and dropkicks her.
Back in the ring, Bayley takes control, Sol rolls her up for 2, sweeps the leg, covers for 2, superkicks her, and throws her out the ring. Sol backflips over the ropes and catches her on the way down! Bayley avoids the springboard splash, clotheslines her, does the sunset flip into the turnbuckles, and covers for 2. Bayley knees her in the back and puts her in a chinlock, but Ruca counters with a roll-up, Bayley rolls through, Sol side-kicks her, hits elbows, chops, back elbows, German suplex, and kips up.
Ruca cartwheels off the ropes for a DDT, covers for 2, Bayley catches her springboarding with the Bayley to Belly, and covers for a near-fall! Bayley sets her up on the top rope backwards, hits the springboard elbow drop, and covers for 2. Sol Ruca goes for a backslide, gets a 2-count, Bayley, goes for the Roseplant, Ruca flips through it, hits a running knee, and gets a 2-count. Bayley blocks the Sol Snatcher, hits the ROSEPLANT, covers deep, and Ruca’s feet land on the bottom rope to break the count! Bayley delivers a back suplex, moves her into position, goes up top, goes for the elbow drop, Ruca gets her knees up, rolls her up for 2, hits the SOL SNATCHER, and Bayley rolls halfway out the ring! Suca drags her back into the ring, Bayley rolls her up for 2, Sol reverses and gets the 3-count! WINNER: SOL RUCA!
Zaria celebrates Ruca’s victory, Lyra Valkyria is in the ring to console Bayley on the loss, Sol Ruca offers a handshake, Bayley accepts it, and all four women celebrate and send a salute to John Cena.
We get more comments and congrats from WWE superstars and legends, all thanking Cena. The Undertaker and The Rock also give their thanks on video. In the crowd we see Michelle McCool, Mark Henry, Kurt Angle, Eve Torres, Trish Stratus, Rob Van Dam and Sami Zayn all at ringside. Michael Cole shouts out Wade Barrett, Taz, JBL, Corey Graves, Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler for helping call John Cena’s matches in the past until tonight. We go back to Joe Tessitore and Stephanie McMahon at the podium to talk more about Cena.
* Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater {TNA X-Division Champion} vs. Dragon Lee & AJ Lee {World Tag Team Champions}
[non-title match]
Danilo Anfibio is the referee for this tag match. Both 21-year olds superkick the tag champs at the bell! Evans hits a suicide dive onto Styles, then Slater hits a dive onto Lee! Slater hits a big diving crossbody to Lee, Evans hits the frog splash onto Lee, covers and gets a close near-fall! Slater splashes him in a corner, snapmare, covers for 2, Lee fights back, side-steps him in a corner, Evans slides into the ring, but Lee lowers the ropes sending him back out. Lee floats over Slater, plants him with a sit-out powerbomb, and both men are down until their hot tags!
Styles hits Evans with the Phenomenal Blitz, hits the sliding forearm, clothesline in the corner, plants Slater with a sit-out facebuster, Evans knocks AJ off the apron, Styles avoids the moonsault off the apron and shoves him into the barricade. Lee gives Slater a headscissors off the apron, Styles catches him in mid-air for the Styles Clash, but Evans superkicks Styles to stop him. Evans gets Styles back into the ring, Slater gets the tag, hits the SWANTON 450, covers, and Lee dropkicks Evans to knock him onto Slater to break the count!
Lee hits Evans with a flying back elbow, and hits the tope con hilo. Slater calls for the Styles Clash, but Styles counters, goes for it, Slater blocks it, tosses him onto the apron, Styles hits the punch, slips on the top rope, Slater covers and gets a 2-count. Slater goes up top again, Styles gets up, catches him for a powerbomb, picks him back up into the STYLES CLASH, and gets the 1-2-3!! WINNERS: DRAGON LEE & AJ STYLES!!
After the replays, AJ Styles and Dragon Lee help up Leon Slater and Je’Von Evans to their feet, and they all salute to Cena.
We get another video of more WWE superstars thanking Cena. Also celebrities like Tom Brady, Jimmy Kimmel, Fluffy, Lil Yachty, Vanessa Hudgens, and Jelly Roll congratulate Cena. Metro Boomin’ is also in the crowd tonight.
We go back to Joe Tessitore and Stephanie McMahon at the podium. The Miz is in the ring to complain about not having his match with Cena during his final run, and Miz is wearing the same exact jacket and gear that he wore at WrestleMania 27 where he defeated Cena in the main event. R-Truth runs down to the ring to present The Miz with the ball that he switched out when Nick Aldis wasn’t looking. The Miz reads the name out loud, and he said JOE HENDRY’s name. “Say his name and he appears.” Joe Hendry is here! The Miz complains again, he swings at Hendry, but Hendry blocks him, catches him for the fallaway slam, kips up, and Truth joins him in the spin-around. Truth and Hendry both do the You Can’t See Me, they both hit the 5-Knuckle Shuffle, and Hendry plants Miz with the Standing Ovation! Truth and Hendry do the spin-around again to applause from the 19,232 in attendance. We get the final video package that was released on social media yesterday.
Gunther heads to the ring as the winner of The Last Time is Now Tournament and as public enemy #1 but that’s how he likes it, and “The Ring General” stands tall in the ring ready for the main event. The delay is suspenseful as we await John Cena’s entrance, then here comes “The Greatest of All Time” for his final match! Stew the cameraman is right there with him, and Cena makes his final run to the ring. Cena hugs Trish, Eve, RVD, Kurt Angle, Mark Henry, Haku, Booker T and KEVIN OWENS as well as Sami Zayn! Lilian Garcia does the proper main event ring introductions, the crowd boos Gunther, repeats every word for Cena, and Chad Patton is the referee for the main event.
* Gunther vs. John Cena
They lock up collar-and-elbow, stalemate, and the crowd chants “Let’s go Cena!” Gunther steps onto the apron to stall for time, and Patton admonishes him to step back into the ring. Gunther drops Cena, stomps on him, teases the crowd, hits a European uppercut, and the crowd chants “Fuck you Gunther!” Gunther chops Cena on the chest, taunts the crowd some more, chops Cena again, and they chant “You tapped out” as him for tapping at Mania earlier this year. Gunther body slams him, hammer throw into the turnbuckles, and the crowd chants “Let’s go Cena!” Cena blocks a chop, punches him, ducks a swing, hits the shoulder tackle, another shoulder tackle, spins him for the back suplex, You Can’t See Me, and hits the 5-Knuckle Shuffle!
Gunther blocks the AA, delivers a German suplex, hits the big lariat, picks him back up, and locks in the sleeper hold. Cena slings him off, drop toehold, and locks in the STF! Gunther crawls to the ropes, reaching his long arm, kicks him off, hits the running dropkick, and plants him with the POWERBOMB! Gunther hits another clothesline, and tells the ref to ask Cena if he gives up. He clotheslines him again, and saunters around the ring demanding Patton to check if Cena gives up. Cena gets up, Gunther hits a third clothesline in a row, and taunts the GOAT trying to break his spirit. Cena stands up again and Gunther clotheslines him again for the fourth time. Cena struggles up to his feet, Gunther clotheslines him for the fifth time, and yells “Ask him!” Cena musters up the strength as the crowd chants “Super Cena!” Cena ducks a clothesline, hits the shoulder tackle, shoulder tackle, spinning side slam, You Can’t See Me, 5-Knuckle Shuffle, hits the ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, and covers for 2.5!
Gunther avoids the AA, chops him on the back of the neck, then puts him in the SLEEPER! Cena gets back to a knee, back to his feet, and puts Gunther in the SLEEPER this time! Gunther gets his foot on the ropes to force the break and he rolls out the ring. Cena goes after him, Gunther chops him, back-suplexes him onto the apron, hammer throws him into the steel steps, steps in and out the ring to break the count, drags the steel steps towards the announce table, and mocks Cena while flipping the crowd off. The crowd chants “Asshole” at him, he brings Cena up the steps, and continues punches him before clearing the announce table. Cena counters the powerbomb with the ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT THROUGH THE TABLE!!!
Cena brings him back into the ring, covers, and gets a near-fall. Cena goes up the turnbuckles, Gunther gets to his feet, Cena hits the DIVING LEGDROP, and Gunther kicks out at 2.5! The crowd chants “You still got it” but Cena says the crowd still has it, and says “This is the last one; I need to hear you!” YOU CAN’T SEE ME! Gunther hits the big boot, German suplex, POWERBOMB, stacks the cover, 1-2-KICKOUT!! Gunther goes up top, Cena cuts him off, hops up to the middle ropes, picks him up, hits the AVALANCHE ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, COVERS, 1-2-NO!!! “This is awesome! This is awesome!” Both men struggle back up, Cena punches him, Gunther chops him, Cena kicks him, Gunther slaps him, they trade shots to BOOs and YAYs from the crowd, Cena ducks a swing, picks him up, Gunther counters the AA, hits the POWERBOMB, goes up top, hits the DIVING SPLASH, and covers for 2.9!!
Gunther calls for him to get up, the crowd chants for “Super Cena”, Gunther locks in the SLEEPER, Cena fades down to a knee, the crowd cheers him on, Cena powers out, Gunther locks it back on, drops him to the mat, Cena gets to his knees and back to his feet, powers out again, counters, Gunther counters back to the Sleeper, Cena slumps down, but he digs deep, gets back to his feet, but Gunther hops on his back to lay all his body weight. Cena backs him into the turnbuckles, Gunther goes back to the Sleeper, Cena backs him into the turnbuckles, catches him for the ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, and covers for 1-2-KICKOUT! Gunther puts him back in the Sleeper again, and the crowd chants “Don’t give up!” but Gunther wraps his legs around him. Chad Patton checks his arm, slumps once, checks his arm, slumps twice, checks him again, and Cena is alive! Gunther elbows him on the shoulder, puts him back in the Sleeper, and Cena gives up with a tap-out. WINNER via submission: GUNTHER!
The crowd is in a state of shock with several surprised faces, hands on heads, tears falling down cheeks, and then voices chanting “BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT!” Cena sits in the middle of the ring apologetic, but the crowd still loves him. “THANK YOU CENA! THANK YOU CENA! THANK YOU CENA!” Cena gives his final bows in the ring, and out come Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan, Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and the whole locker room. The crowd chants “You fucked up!” aimed at HHH and his booking of this match. Punk and Rhodes place their championships on Cena’s shoulders as the rest of the locker room surround the ring. The crowd boos at HHH standing on the apron, but HHH laughs it off while hugging Cena, and points to the tron to air a heartfelt video package for Cena’s life and career. Cena takes his final bows again, leaves his shoes, sweatbands, and armband in the ring, exits the ring, and salutes everyone now that this chapter of his life has ended.
THANK YOU CENA!
