John Cena officially retires: Two WWE superstars who won their final match

WWE legend John Cena’s in-ring professional wrestling career is now officially consigned to the history books. The Leader of the Cenation wrestled his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C., in front of a partisan crowd all desperate for a victory for the record 17-time world champion. The 48-year-old faced off against former World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, and the two put on a mat classic for the ages, but the fans who had headed to Capital One Arena in the hopes of seeing a Cena victory were about to be bitterly disappointed. 

After a back-and-forth affair that saw Cena land a mighty FIVE Attitude Adjustment finishing maneuvers, it was his Austrian rival who emerged victorious. Gunther relentlessly locked in a sleeper hold and refused to release it, forcing Cena to tap out for just the fourth time in his near-quarter-century career – and the first time in over two decades. 

WWE fans unhappy with Cena’s defeat 

Fans in the capital were dismayed by the defeat, and they weren’t shy in making their feelings known to WWE Head of Creative Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. WWE’s head honcho was serenaded with boos when he came to the ring after the match in order to congratulate Cena on an incredible career, with visceral boos sounding out around the arena. But one man who won’t care about that one bit is the victor of Cena’s retirement match, Gunther. 

WWE’s next Premium Live Event is the marquee Royal Rumble, taking place on January 31st in Saudi Arabia, and online betting sites are thought to be gearing up to make Gunther a contender for victory. The popular Bovada online sportsbook hasn’t yet posted its Rumble match odds, but when the American bookie does, it’s expected to install the Ring General as a 10/1 contender, up there with favorites such as Roman Reigns, LA Knight, and Sami Zayn. 

But while the Rumble victor is one question burning in the mind of the WWE Universe, another is whether they were justified in their reaction to Cena’s defeat. “Going out on your back” – losing in one’s final match, in other words – is seen as a way of giving back to the business, and all of the greats have done it. Ric Flair was beaten by Shawn Michaels in his WWE retirement match, while HBK himself was beaten by the Undertaker in his last ever contest. But which legends have managed to go out in a blaze of glory by winning in their last ever match? Let’s take a look. 

The Undertaker 

Many will say that the Undertaker had already given back to the business when he lost his undefeated WrestleMania streak. Back in 2014, the Deadman headed into WrestleMania 30 with a perfect record of 21-0, only to be mauled by Brock Lesnar in New Orleans, losing in arguably the biggest upset in WWE history. But Taker would wrestle on for a further six years before hanging up the gloves. 

His final match came at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, an event which was affected by global events and forced to take place in front of no fans at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. As no fans were in attendance, WWE was able to get creative with their matches, turning Undertaker vs AJ Styles into the cinematic ‘Boneyard Match.’ 

The match took place at numerous different sites, including a graveyard and a warehouse. And in the end, it was Taker that emerged victorious, winning his final ever match and improving his all-time WrestleMania record to 25-2. 

‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin 

‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin was the man who made wrestling cool again, but by the time 2003 rolled around, he was a broken man. A history of neck injuries meant that his days were numbered, and at WrestleMania 19, he would face off with the Rock for the third time on the Grandest Stage of Them All. Not a single soul in attendance knew that the match-up would be Austin’s last in WWE for almost two decades. 

The Texas Rattlesnake lost that particular contest in Seattle, but in the end, the defeat to the Great One wouldn’t end up being his retirement match. In 2022, he came out of retirement for one final contest opposite modern star Kevin Owens, headlining night one of WrestleMania 38 in Austin’s home state of Texas. And, much to the delight of everybody, he would emerge victorious after drilling KO with the Stone Cold Stunner for the win. 

Following the clash, Austin’s moment in the sun wasn’t over. He would deliver further stunners both to Vince McMahon and former NFL punter turned WWE jack of all trades Pat McAfee, sending the 65,000 supporters home from AT&T Stadium in Arlington with a smile on their faces. 

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