After a polarizing final year of his career, it only made sense that John Cena’s last match would also cause debate. The future WWE Hall of Famer closed out his career at Saturday Night’s Main Event with a submission loss to GUNTHER, and it was a result the Washington D.C. crowd didn’t take kindly to, taking their frustration out on Triple H in particular. Both following the match and during the post-show, several derogatory chants directed at the WWE chief content officer, including some scattered “AEW” chants.
On Sunday morning’s “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussed the hostile reaction some fans had to Cena’s loss, and who ultimately made the call for Cena to go out on his back. Both Alvarez and Meltzer suggested that Cena and Triple H were responsible, with Cena wanting to lose, and Triple H ultimately agreeing with the idea. This was a stark contrast to Sting’s AEW retirement in 2024, which saw Sting win his last match, reportedly at the insistence of AEW owner Tony Khan and Sting’s opponents, the Young Bucks.
“Here’s the thing; it was John Cena’s decision, okay?” Alvarez said. “But even if it was, Triple H could’ve said ‘No, you’re actually not losing your last match.’ Or ‘No, you’re not going to quit.’ I mean, he could’ve said that. I think people are thinking that Triple H made a call and, like, John Cena maybe didn’t want to do it or whatever. I mean, that didn’t happen. John Cena, I’m sure, wanted to lose. But Triple H did not stop him. He did not say ‘No, I’m not going to let you do it.'”
“At the end of the day, it was Paul’s decision,” Meltzer said. “And hey, if people are mad, that’s who you boo.”
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Wrestling Observer Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
