John Cena discusses controversial final matc finish; The Rock & Travis Scott fiasco; WWE retirement & more in conversation with Cody Rhodes

For the first time since his retirement, John Cena sat down with Cody Rhodes.

After bidding farewell to the squared ring on December 13 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, the 17-time WWE World Champion, John Cena, for the first time made an appearance and sat down with the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

Cena sat down with Rhodes on his “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast to discuss the controversial finish in his final match, The Rock & Travis Scott fiasco, WWE retirement, and much more.

John Cena opens up on how deeply meaningful his retirement match was

During the conversation with Rhodes, Cena spoke about the deep significance of the match and how meaningful the entire night was to him.

“I envisioned something beautiful. Saturday far exceeded whatever was in my heart and soul, So I know I’m out there one last time. They had to move the side ramps in to put more seats. It almost was like a fire hazard to go down the ramp. You cannot fit anymore — I know it’s an old wrestler’s story but I’m setting the stage for why I was so filled with joy. You can’t fit anymore people in there.

Going up to this event, I made sure everyone I talked to, all of the podcasts I did, I’m like, ‘Hey, I know you may not think I’m going to retire — I am. I’m comfortable with that. Please just get the closure you need.’ So now I’m out there. They hate the guy I’m working with.

They universally cheer me, that is f*cking rare. And for the last five minutes, everything I preach about story and drama and having a conversation with the audience. The ones I love are in the front row. I know my colleagues are watching on the monitor back there. We’re just in a sleeper hold, man. We’re just in a sleeper hold. But we’re having that conversation with the audience.”

Cena also discussed the controversial finish in his final match, which angered the majority of the fans. Cena tapped out while flashing a smile at Gunther’s sleeper hold choke.

The 17-time World Champion explained that, for him, the smile felt like taking a final breath and leaving in peace. He added that fans are free to interpret the moment however they choose, and he’s completely fine if they didn’t see it the same way he did.

“So as I essentially take my last breath, I have struggled. If you think of somebody — the natural causes scenario or however we picture loss in our life. All of us have been through it. They struggle, they struggle, they struggle, they hang on just long enough to make sure to say goodbye to everybody that’s been meaningful in their lives,

And that whole day was so many unbelievably vulnerable, meaningful conversations. And then you realize, I’ve connected with everybody I love. Physically, I feel great. I think it’s time to take that last breath. And that’s that — I hate to keep going back morbidly to obituaries, but this person died peacefully. And knowing that like, man, we are in a good place. We’re going to be great going forward. The bottom of the T-shirt says, ‘I gave everything, thank you for everything.’ And that one moment — that was that, going peacefully.”

The legend expressed nothing but deep respect for his final opponent, Gunther, saying, “That motherf*cker hits hard and pure, and he is all about that 20-by-20 box.”

John Cena explains why he and Cody Rhodes never dwelled on The Rock & Travis Scott’s WWE absence

During the conversation, Rhodes and Cena also discussed the sudden disappearance of The Rock and Travis Scott from Cena’s heel-turn storyline after Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 41, with the veteran noting that neither he nor Rhodes spent any time dwelling on what might have been once the storyline was scrapped.

“Hey, you have The Rock and Travis Scott.’ Awesome, we can plan all this stuff. ‘Hey, you don’t have those two guys anymore,’ Not once did you and I, the whole world has had the conversation of, ‘What would it have been like if?’ The two guys in it, with their d**k in the dirt, not once had a conversation about, ‘Man, what would it have been like if we had those guys?’ No. It was, ‘What do we do now?”

The 17-time WWE World Champion also addressed fan criticism of his retirement run, which stemmed from the absence of The Rock and Travis Scott.

“Lets walk down hypothetical street. Let’s say everyone who showed up at the Chamber is active until August. That robs us of John Cena, Randy Orton, that robs us of John Cena, CM Punk, John Cena, Ron Cena, John Cena, AJ Styles, John Cena, Logan Paul, me, and you for the last one.

So yes, the story that might have been might have had star power, and gravity, and who knows what, but what we got by just being like ‘these are the pieces left’. What we got, for me personally, was beautiful.”

[H/T: F4WOnline]

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