John Cena Addresses Fan Backlash After Tapping Out in Final Match

John Cena may have surprised the WWE Universe by tapping out to GUNTHER at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but he’s not backing down from how it all ended — in fact, he thinks it was perfect.

Speaking at FAN EXPO in New Orleans, Cena directly addressed the backlash he’s received for choosing to lose his retirement match via submission. And instead of deflecting, Cena leaned into the criticism and offered a rare look into his mindset.

“Losing my last match against GUNTHER. Thank you for reminding me that you’re allowed to have your opinion, and thank you for not just conforming to a certain set of standards.”

He acknowledged the division among fans. Rather than reject negative opinions, Cena embraced them as part of the story. He explained that he carefully built this ending, knowing it wouldn’t please everyone — but that was the point. Cena then compared the moment to his 23-year career as a whole — one filled with polarizing reactions.

“Thank you for being vocal enough to express how you felt. I put together a story which I think y’all would enjoy. When there’s critical opinion out there, I’m all ears. Don’t ignore critics. I’m thankful for them at D.C. and everywhere before that.

Like I said… I guess it kind of parallels my career. I think it was a perfect end, because a whole lot of people thought it sucked, a whole lot of people thought it was special, and that’s kind of been my story for 23 years. So I thought it was perfect.”

This isn’t the first time Cena has spoken about that emotional final moment. On Cody Rhodes’ podcast What Do You Wanna Talk About?, he revealed the symbolism behind the smile he gave as he passed out in the ring. To Cena, it wasn’t about defeat — it was about letting go.

“You always read, ‘This person died peacefully.’ That’s what it felt like. I faced death with a smile — knowing we’re in a good place, knowing things are going to be great moving forward. At the bottom of the shirt, it said, ‘I gave everything. Thank you for everything.’ In that one moment — that was it. Going peacefully.”

Now that he’s spoken publicly and clearly about why he chose to end his career this way, one thing is certain: love it or hate it, Cena meant every second of it.

Do you think John Cena made the right call in how his final WWE match ended? Or should he have gone out differently? Let us know your thoughts below.

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