John Cena has heard the criticism over tapping out in his final WWE match. After spending his entire career preaching “Never Give Up,” Cena voluntarily submitted to Gunther, but he says fans are taking that message far too literally.
Speaking at Tampa Bay Comic Convention, Cena addressed the finish after a fan asked whether getting older had taught him that sometimes strength means knowing when to let go. Cena didn’t dance around what happened against Gunther either. He flat-out admitted that he gave up. That distinction is important to the Leader of Cenation. “Never Give Up” has always meant perseverance in life to him, not blindly refusing to let anything end.
“Never give up for me is a philosophy about life. I fully gave up in that last match and I gave up my WWE career. That doesn’t mean I’m done with life.”
“The words ‘never give up’ to me equate to perseverance. That doesn’t mean you should just be unaware of your surroundings or what’s going on.”
Cena was also well aware of what fans were saying after Gunther made him tap. The irony of WWE’s “Never Give Up” guy voluntarily submitting in his retirement match wasn’t lost on anyone, including Cena himself.
“It was interesting to see the fan reaction with me voluntarily tapping out for the last match cuz they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re the never give up guy. Why’d you give up?’”
However, Cena says that was the point. He knew the match was the end regardless of whether he won or lost. Rather than leave any doubt about where he stood, Cena wanted to bow out in a way that made it clear his time as an active wrestler was finished.
“It was my last match, win, lose, or draw. From a fan sentiment, I’m not sure if you guys expected me to win because essentially in the pro wrestling cycle of life, that’s not what happens. So, I wanted to gracefully bow out in a way that the fans understood that it was my time to go. That doesn’t mean I have given up on life.”
Gunther certainly understood the significance of it. He previously said making the man who spent his career saying “Never Give Up” actually give up might mean more to him than any championship. Cena sees things differently. His wrestling career was simply a chapter that needed to end, and tapping out was his way of closing it. He calls moments like that “pivots” rather than abandoning the bigger philosophy.
“I call them pivots. That way you’re not just giving up all the time. But the never give up thing comes to the quality of life.”
Bottom line: John Cena gave up against Gunther and he’ll freely admit it. He just doesn’t believe tapping out at the end of his wrestling career means he gave up on the message he spent decades preaching.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
