In the main event of WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event special this past weekend, “The Ring General” GUNTHER defeated 17-time World Champion John Cena by submission.
Cena reportedly submitted to GUNTHER’s sleeper hold, which now means he is officially retired from in-ring competition. However, fans at the Capital One Arena reacted negatively to this outcome, and boos were directed at WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque after the match and during the post-show.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussed the controversial finish on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
Meltzer noted that WWE was caught off guard by the negative reception to Cena’s defeat. He also mentioned that “many people” within the company disagreed with the decision to have Cena lose by submission. Meltzer described Triple H’s comments during the post-show as a “defense mechanism,” revealing that there had been no discussion about anticipating the audience’s reaction.
Alvarez added that the fans’ angry reaction stemmed from being sold on Cena’s “Never Give Up” slogan for nearly 20 years.
As Cena struggled in the sleeper hold, the crowd began chanting, “Don’t give up,” indicating that while they accepted Cena was going to lose, they did not want to see him submit voluntarily.
