John Cena vs. WALTER (13/12/2025) {English}

 "Losing the Love of Your life."
John Cena vs. WALTER (13/12/2025)
Arabic Version

I grew up on CD tapes my older brother used to bring home from a friend’s shop—tapes filled with match compilations of a white kid named John Cena. From that moment on, I became his biggest fan. I made sure to buy his T-shirts, and when WWE came to Riyadh in 2016, I made sure I was among the very first to arrive. I loved John Cena, his promos, his matches, everything about him. One of the main reasons I learned English in the first place was so I could translate John Cena’s and CM Punk’s promos. And one of the phrases that carried me through my darkest days, that truly stood by me when I needed it most, was:
Never give up.

John Cena is the most important face the company has ever had. For twenty years, he stood at the top, when Austin, Rock, and others had left Vince behind, and Vince was searching for a new figurehead. No one stepped up and answered the call but Cena. He mastered the role for fifteen full-time years. He carried great booking, endured terrible booking, often far too much of it, and still delivered.

At the same time, Cena embodied a level of humanity no other wrestler ever truly matched: his work with Make-A-Wish, the way he helped fellow wrestlers behind the scenes, his consistently positive presence in interviews, and his countless promos where he explained what “Never Give Up” really means. Because of all that, his farewell run should have been handled with care. Instead, reality went the opposite way. But that’s not the period we’re here to talk about, we’re here to talk about the final match.

WALTER was the perfect opponent for Cena. John Cena’s best matches have always come when he stands across from someone bigger than him, when he’s facing a mountain and fighting from underneath. And WALTER is the most dominant force in the world, someone fully capable of pulling a great match out of Cena. So naturally, we all expected a classic David vs. Goliath story, just like so many of Cena’s greatest matches.
But this night was different from any other. This was the most important match of John Cena’s life. And the control started with Cena himself. He was the one with the upper hand—the mountain this time, forcing WALTER to search for cracks and tear him down. The use of the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the AA was excellent: not overdone, yet each one felt believable enough to end the match.
WALTER’s dominance began when Cena rolled to the outside. WALTER went for the steel steps, looking to powerbomb Cena, but Cena countered, delivering one of the best AA’s of his career through the table. WALTER crashing on the edge of the table was the most “hell yeah” moment I’ve seen in the company all year.

Cena was at the top one last time. Cena was at the top, standing alongside the fans, one final time. Even when he was down, hope was still alive.
 Cena did not give up, and he did not want to give up. Before WALTER could execute his Frog Splash, Cena pulled out one final Super AA. WALTER kicked out, and the crowd was left in complete shock. I want to pause here and talk about WALTER’s performance and the incredible heel work he delivered. Every single time WALTER countered Cena, the crowd was stunned. His dominance was met with perfect selling from Cena. WALTER targeted Cena’s head and neck with elbows and chops brilliantly, all to build toward the finish, the sleeper hold.

This match made me happy. It shocked me. It excited me. And now, all that remains is the final feeling: sadness and tears.

From both a technical and a storytelling perspective, the ending was perfect. Calling it perfect is not enough. WALTER locked in the deadly sleeper hold, and Cena fought and barely escaped, just for WALTER to crush his hope. Yet Cena kept fighting. Cena did not give up. He tried to escape before WALTER could kill his hope for the second time. Still, Cena kept struggling, until he smiled one last time.

The man who never gave up for twenty years, the man who was a living human embodiment of everything the words “Never Give Up” stand for, realized that this was the end, There was no hope left in trying anymore, because his time was over. And John Cena gave in.

The purpose of wrestling is to make you feel something. This match made me feel everything it possibly could. Every strike felt like it could be the finish. I was on edge the entire time. And in the end, my eyes began to tear up, not because WALTER won, but because of the farewell. And what a painful farewell it was.

A perfect ending. To a perfect match. To a final story. I do not care what anyone else thinks about this match. As I said, wrestling’s goal is to make you feel, and this is the match that moved my emotions more than any other. This is the greatest match I have ever seen in my life.

Thank you, John Cena, for everything.

5+* | GME