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WWE SNME Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights of John Cena's Final Show
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13.
This is what the past 12 months have been building toward. John Cena stepped into a WWE ring for what might be the final time after a year-long retirement tour.
Here's a look at the card for Saturday's show:
Let's take a look at what happened on the show that featured Cena's final match.
Cody Rhodes vs. Oba Femi
1 of 5
Last time in action: Femi defeated Evans (NXT, Dec. 9), Rhodes' team won the men's WarGames match (Survivor Series)
Joe Tessitore and Stephanie McMahon were hosting the show from a table and talked about Cena a bit before Rhodes made his entrance to take on Femi in the opening match.
Neither man was putting their title on the line, so this was simply a fight for pride, although Femi had a lot more to gain from a victory since he was the newcomer and Rhodes was the undisputed WWE champion.
They locked up, and The Ruler pushed Rhodes to the corner to show off his power. The American Nightmare tried to use his quickness to keep his distance, but Femi eventually caught him with a backbreaker.
While Rhodes had a huge experience advantage, Femi was the more dominant force. He had the WWE champion reeling for a large portion of the match.
The crowd reacted to something off camera shortly before Drew McIntyre emerged to beat up Rhodes. Femi was upset that the contest was thrown out and got in The Scottish Warrior's face and shoved him to the mat.
While most of the match was good, this was a disappointing way to end the biggest opportunity of Femi's career thus far. He and Rhodes took McIntyre out and posed together to end the segment.
Result: No-Contest
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Bayley vs. Sol Ruca
2 of 5
Last time in action: Bayley and Lyra Valkyria lost to The Kabuki Warriors (Raw, Nov. 3), Ruca defeated Wren Sinclair (NXT, Dec. 9)
The next match saw Bayley, with Valkyria by her side, take on Ruca, who had Zaria in her corner after they reconciled on Tuesday.
They started with a simple lockup into an exchange of holds and counters. It was a couple of minutes before either competitor used a strike, with Ruca nailing a kick from the apron. Bayley avoided a moonsault and hit her rival with a huge forearm to take control.
This match had a quicker pace than Femi vs. Rhodes, so it felt like they were able to do a lot more in the time they had. Ruca looked great against her more experienced opponent. She pulled everything out of her bag of tricks for this bout.
After hitting a Sol Snatcher, Ruca was able to get the pin and get the biggest win of her young career. Bayley had a big smile on her face, so she was not upset about putting over a newer talent. They posed together and gave a salute in tribute to Cena.
This was a fun match with a lot of spots that showed off Ruca's agility. Bayley was the perfect person to give her this spot.
Result: Ruca defeated Bayley
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
AJ Styles and Dragon Lee vs. Leon Slater and Je'Von Evans
3 of 5
Last time in action: Evans defeated The Miz (SD, Dec. 12), Slater won an eight-man tag match (TNA, Dec. 7), Styles and Lee defeated the War Raiders (Raw, Dec. 8)
The only title match of the night saw Styles and Lee defend the Tag Team Championships against NXT's Evans and TNA's Slater. It was appropriate that Slater was in a match against a former TNA champion for his first main roster appearance.
All four men are known for their high-flying antics, but Styles has limited his big spots in recent years to allow his career to have more longevity.
Slater and Evans came out of the gate hot with superkicks to the champions as soon as the bell rang. They were hoping for a quick and surprising victory, but Lee kicked out of a frog splash to keep the match alive.
This was a fast-paced contest with a lot of memorable moments. The three young guns made their mark, and the veteran Styles seemed to take a backseat at times so they could shine.
Unfortunately, The Phenomenal One tripped when he went for his signature springboard forearm. It was hard to tell if that had anything to do with the match ending a few moments later, but Styles and Lee retained in the end.
This bout had the most standout moments, but the somewhat abrupt ending was a bit strange.
Result: Lee and Styles defeated Slater and Evans
Grade: B-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
John Cena vs. Gunther
4 of 5
Last time in action: Gunther defeated LA Knight (SD, Dec. 5), Cena lost to Dominik Mysterio (Survivor Series)
This was what the night had been all about. Cena's final match was finally upon us, and Gunther was looking to make sure he went out on his back.
However, The Miz showed up first looking to make it about himself again. R-Truth came out and revealed it was Joe Hendry whose spot The A-Lister stole in the tournament.
Hendry arrived when his name was said and took Miz down so that he and Truth could hit the Five-Knuckle Shuffle together.
Gunther got some great heat during his entrance, but it was nothing compared to the reaction Cena received when he came out for his last match. You could tell he was a little emotional, but he kept it together.
They began with a simple lockup that ended with a clean break. The Ring General decided to play some mind games by leaving the ring for a moment. He took control when they locked up again and started laying in chops to the chest.
The 17-time champion was able to get in some offense here and there, but The Ring General looked as dominant as ever. Cena was selling a lot to make him look good, too.
Gunther kicked out of the AA and looked like he might have the match won when he locked in a sleeper with a body scissor, but Cena wouldn't stay down and managed to reverse the hold.
They took the fight out of the ring where Cena put his opponent through the announce table with an AA from the steel steps. He even hit a super AA from the middle rope, but it wasn't enough to keep The Ring General down.
Both men survived multiple finishers from the other before it finally ended with Gunther using a sleeper for several minutes to make Cena finally tap out. Disappointed fans were shown in the crowd as the victor celebrated.
Some might think the grade for this match is high, but this was exactly what it needed to be. Cena looked great hitting all his big spots, but he did even more to put Gunther over by selling for him. On top of that, they worked well together to make this an entertaining bout, regardless of it being Cena's last.
Nostalgia played a factor, but there is no denying how big of a moment this was. Cena got to go out on his terms, and that is something that a lot of wrestlers never had the chance to do. It was a great way to wrap up a legendary career.
Result: Gunther defeated Cena
Grade: A
Notable Moments and Observations
The Final Word
5 of 5A disappointed crowd chanted "Bulls--t" as Cena sat in the ring with a smile on his face. He went out putting someone else over, which is exactly what he wanted to do.
His farewell tour had some bumps along the way, but it ended on a high note with what might be his best match all year against Gunther. The 17-time champion looked shocked to see Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and several other wrestlers and executives surround the ring to bid him farewell.
The crowd was not happy that he lost his final bout, but this was always how it was going to end. Anyone who went into this night thinking he would win was fooling themselves.
CM Punk and Rhodes draped their belts over Cena's shoulders as the crowd finally got on board and chanted "Thank you, Cena."
Making this night not just about Cena, but also about building the future by featuring a handful of NXT stars was the perfect way to do this. Don't let the crowd's reaction at the end fool you. This was a great show from top to bottom.
Femi and Rhodes ending without a winner was the only real complaint we could make here. Ruca getting a clean win over Bayley was the second highlight behind Cena's farewell.
The night ended with Cena getting to watch a tribute video WWE had made for him that chronicled his life and career with the company. He left his shoes and armbands in the ring before taking one last walk up the ramp and giving us one final salute.
Whether you loved him or hated him, there is no denying the mark Cena has left on this business. He had a truly legendary run and went out his way.
Grade: A
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