Eric Bischoff Explains Why GUNTHER Making John Cena Tap Out Was the Right Call

John Cena’s final match in his historic career shocked fans. Triple H took a ton of heat online, and many people, including Jim Ross, have spoken on the outcome where Cena finally gave up. GUNTHER made him tap out, and Eric Bischoff understands the significance of that.

Eric Bischoff addressed the finish of John Cena’s retirement match against GUNTHER at Saturday Night’s Main Event and explained why he believes the decision worked. This is, of course, a controversial take. That being said, Easy E made a career creating cash out of controversy.

Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff said the crowd reaction showed the booking landed the way it was intended to. After all, fans were chanting “F*ck you GUNTHER” and many more phrases throughout the match.

“I was extremely impressed with the finish of that match, because it achieved exactly what any good head of creative would want to achieve. If you go back and you look at the crowd reactions to Hogan turning heel, and you go back and look at the crowd reactions to Gunther putting John Cena to sleep, the reactions were very similar. It was stunned, disappointment, shock. It was awkward at very first, much like it was with Hogan.”

Advertising

Advertising

Eric Bischoff said denying the audience the ending they expected created a response that can benefit GUNTHER if it is sustained. There is no offseason to WWE, and the company is already using GUNTHER’s heat to benefit him as he was ejected from RAW the next Monday.

“I think John did for Gunther and Paul Levesque is put Gunther in a position where… if Gunther can hold that heat and the audience resents Gunther for taking that moment that they all wanted… Gunther is going to be one of the hottest heels of the business,” Bischoff explained. “Paul Levesque will go down as a genius, and everybody will look at this much differently than they looked at it that night, including Jeff Jarrett, by the way.”

“You send the crowd home happy, unless you want the heel to get all the heat. And then you set up a scenario where that heel is taking what everybody thought they were going to get.”

Eric Bischoff also spoke about GUNTHER’s response following the match, pointing to how he has handled media appearances since the event. GUNTHER is an impressive man, and Eric Bischoff agrees.

“I saw an interview that Gunther did… and I was so impressed with the way he handled it. He stayed in character, but in a real and authentic way. Man, there’s something about his aura and the way he carries himself that makes him really special.”

Eric Bischoff was watching John Cena’s entire retirement tour closely along with the rest of us. Only time will tell what Cena is able to do in Hollywood now that his time in the ring is over, but he certainly got people talking with his final outing.

What’s your take on John Cena’s final match? Do you think that WWE should have let him win on the way out? Let us know what you think in the comments section!