Current AEW Personality Backs WWE’s Decision of Gunther Retiring John Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event

Jim Ross is in favor of Gunther being remembered as John Cena's final WWE opponent while heaping massive praise on The Ring General.

Current AEW Personality Backs WWE’s Decision of Gunther Retiring John Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event

Jim Ross on Gunther vs John Cena [via- WWE]

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Pro wrestling is subjective, and the farewell to its most beloved babyface, John Cena, is and will always be open to interpretation. The fan debates regarding Cena tapping out to Gunther in his last WWE match aren’t expected to abate.

Not only has it been the talk of the town among the core wrestling audience, but also the veterans of this industry are getting their thoughts in. That being said, legendary wrestling commentator Jim Ross has backed WWE’s polarizing decision of having Gunther retire ‘The Cenation Leader’.

The current AEW figure spoke about it on his Grilling JR podcast. Ross underscored The Ring General’s unreal body transformation, going from a green-haired, obese, smug on the Indies to leaning down to the best shape of his career.

Here’s a guy that’s really made his body. You’ve seen those pictures of Gunther a few years ago? God damn. I think he’s a blessing and I think that they did the right thing… I’m a big fan of his…………He’s got character. He’s got integrity. He takes care of himself. He looks good. He’s got one of the great looks in wrestling. So, I think they did the right thing, and because I don’t think you could do anything to hurt Cena.

Jim Ross via Grilling JR podcast

‘Good Ol’ JR’ went on to state that Gunther would be in the upper echelon of talent he would’ve chosen from WWE to start a wrestling company with. Ross believes that the Vienna-born wrestler has character and a good-looking physique to back up his accolades.

Speaking of Gunther’s match with Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Ross thinks WWE made the right call, as it didn’t hurt the stock of the 17-time world champion.

Cena vs. Gunther from last weekend received a 4.5-star rating from longtime wrestling historian Dave Meltzer. The crowd in attendance was absolutely miffed from the point Cena gave up with a smile on his face.

‘The Franchise Player’ recently explained the meaning of that smile in his first public interview since his WWE farewell. Cena tried emphasizing metaphorically that he took his last breath in the moment he tapped out.

Jeff Jarrett says the ending to John Cena’s last match was the ‘single dumbest finish’

As alluded to above, that ending to John Cena vs. Gunther made tons seethe in rage. The fans rained down a cascade of boos on Triple H for booking ‘Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect’ to tap out, something which hasn’t happened in over 20 years. Yet another AEW personality has commented on the way a legend like Cena bowed out.

Gunther and John Cena at SNME
Gunther and John Cena at SNME (via WWE)

Jeff Jarrett blasted the term “time-honored tradition” that’s been thrown around these days to justify the finish to Cena’s in-ring career. On his My World podcast, Jarrett called it BS by affirming that any veteran of that stature should be protected and needs to be taken care of for his/her shortcomings at the twilight of their careers.

Calling Cena’s tap-out to Gunther the single dumbest finish, ‘Double J’ went a step further and slammed WWE’s decision as a slap in the face of this industry. Jarrett underscored that Cena lived and swore by the slogan of never giving up, but he did give up on his last night as an active WWE performer.

The 58-year veteran snapped at the fact that WWE blew away the essence of John Cena just for a time-honored tradition where the outgoing star puts over a younger talent. Jarrett also mentioned how the irate WWE fans were heckling Triple H with AEW chants during the post-show.

Despite the anger directed at WWE from various sections of the pro wrestling fraternity, there’s also a general consensus among fans that John Cena would’ve been the only one to push for the way his match ended at SNME.

‘The Franchise Player’ had made it his primary focus to give it back to the business that turned him into a household name over the years. And putting over younger wrestlers is the most respectful way of paying one’s dues as a veteran of this industry. Cena did exactly what he would’ve thought was pivotal to secure the future of WWE.

Also Read: