As the old adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of WWE's John Cena, his latest picture has captured the attention of over 300,000 people so far.
Over on Instagram, the 17-time world champion shared a wordless farewell to the WWE Universe with an image of his gray Athletic Propulsion Labs sneakers, wristbands, and armband stamped with "The Last Time Is Now," all of which he left behind in the ring after his final match at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event. Below it, thousands of Cena's followers said their goodbyes, with WWE Women's Champion Charlotte Flair notably replying with a saluting emoji. Honda, a leading automotive brand, followed suit with a salute of their own.
On his last night as an active in-ring competitor, Cena faced off with GUNTHER, who showed no signs of holding back the physicality on Cena. GUNTHER took down Cena with a series of vicious clotheslines early on, and as expected, Cena bounced back with his signature fighting spirit and Five Moves of Doom. In the end, though, it wasn't enough to conquer the repeated sleeper holds unleashed by "The Ring General," which eventually resulted in Cena tapping out.
Despite Cena's loss, WWE sent him off into the sunset with a celebratory video package and round of applause from his colleagues, including Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. Several executives, such as WWE CCO Paul "Triple H" Levesque, joined the festivities as well, with Cena ending them by dramatically taking off his sneakers and signature arm accessories. Almost immediately, WWE then moved Cena to the alumni section of its website, further signaling the end of his in-ring career.
