At Saturday Night's Main Event this past weekend, John Cena wrestled his final match and was defeated by Gunther. The conclusion to their clash has proven hugely divisive, with some loving the way the 17-time WWE Champion's story ended and others furious that his career wrapped up with a loss.
Love or hate it, the match was historic. In the weeks leading up to Saturday Night's Main Event, we repeatedly heard that former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and President Donald Trump might be in attendance for the Washington, D.C. PLE.
Neither was there, though the latter did appear in the emotional video package recapping Cena's amazing in-ring career. Now, we have an update from Dave Meltzer, who writes, "Neither Vince McMahon nor Donald Trump was at the show. They wanted Trump. He attended the Army vs. Navy football game not far away and could have made it to both, but his decision was not to come."
Trump was famously part of "The Battle of the Billionaires" at WrestleMania 23, and Fightful Select has explained that neither McMahon nor Trump was set to appear or, as some have speculated, secretly backstage.
"Vince McMahon and Donald Trump were not at the show, were not planned to be at the show, and as Fightful Select reported numerous times, nobody was told they would be there at the event," the site's latest report noted.
Amid choruses of boos, Triple H shared the following after Saturday Night's Main Event about Cena's legacy and how fans feel about the Leader of the Cenation:
"John Cena’s passion for WWE didn’t end tonight. John Cena’s in-ring career ended tonight. He had his sort of farewell run for this year on his terms, and got to do it here in a way tonight that just meant the world to him. One thing that I know about John is every time I’ve seen him go into that ring, he’s had a blast doing it. Tonight was no different."
"My takeaway is just respect, respect for a man that deserves all the respect he’s getting. The records that were set tonight, we crushed a record here for this building, not just for WWE, but also for this building. We didn’t have to make anybody want to be here tonight. They all wanted to be here. It’s respect for John. He is probably one of the most universally respected performers I’ve ever seen in this business."
How do you feel about Cena's final WWE match? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.