On Saturday, WWE held its final live event in the Joe Louis Arena from Detroit. The Red Wings hockey team has called the gigantic concrete stadium home since 1979 and WWE has hosted seven WWE PPVs there over the years, with many of the most memorable RAW and SmackDown Live moments also emanating from the arena.
It was on Sunday that the Joe closed its doors for good so WWE made sure to send the arena off in style and enlisted John Cena to take charge of that farewell. Here's what he had to say:
"I had my very first pay-per-view match in this building right here. Everyone here tonight knows all about the energy and the aura that you get surrounded by when you step foot in this building right here. So many memories in Hockeytown for all of you; so many wonderful WWE memories for myself. I just wanna say what an honor and a privilege it is, 15 years after that pay-per-view match, to be able to stand on hallowed ground and tell you all thank you so very much. My point tonight is that it’s about the Joe Louis Arena. It’s about the WWE Universe standing in the Joe Louis Arena for one final time. It’s about the spirit of the city of Detroit. I know we will see you at the new place, shaking it down, just like we do every single night in here."
That's pretty much the most John Cena-like farewell you could hope for right there and it was an appropriately patriotic speech from the man who moments before had beaten Rusev in front of the cheering crowd. It was a stacked card in general, though, with Brock Lesnar also appearing to put his Universal Championship on the line against Samoa Joe (who lost).
Did you ever pay a visit to the Joe? If so, let us know your favourite moments in the comments section and watch Cena's speech in its entirety below. Just be sure to have a tissue handy!
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