WWE fans booed Paul "Triple H" Levesque after John Cena tapped out to Gunther in the final match of his WWE career. Screen grab: WWE (insert via Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images)
By Ben Axelrod on

For most of its two-hour duration, Saturday Night’s Main Event was spent celebrating John Cena.

The tone inside the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., however, shifted dramatically after the man whose catchphrase is “Never Give Up” ended his career by tapping out to Gunther.

As fans voiced their displeasure over the controversial finish to Cena’s last match, the target of their frustration happened to appear. And as he made his way to the ring for a post-match ceremony, WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque was met with audible boos thanks to his role as the head of the company’s creative team.

While many fans eventually got back to celebrating Cena, the boos returned as Levesque jumped up on the ring apron to direct the 17-time WWE champion’s attention to a tribute video package that played throughout the arena. Triple H was also booed by the crowd during the event’s post-show panel, with various chants — some of which were vulgar — ringing out throughout his interview.

“I’m actually mildly disappointed. I thought it would be so much louder,” Levesque told the crowd.

Despite the overwhelming negative reaction, booking decisions are subjective, and there’s certainly a case to be made that Cena losing was the right call. Throughout the history of pro wrestling, it’s become customary for legends to lose their final matches as a way to pass the torch to the younger generation.

That trend, however, has also shifted in recent years, with living legends such as The Undertaker and Sting having won on the way out. Plus, even if Cena’s loss was the right decision, it’s understandable that many fans would be upset about him tapping out when it’s so antithetical to the character he’s been playing for more than 20 years now.

It’s also worth noting that while Levesque is in charge of WWE creative, one would imagine that Cena had plenty of say in helping shape the final match of his career. But regardless of whether you agree with the booking or not, most would likely agree that, if nothing else, this sendoff was better than the one that Bill Goldberg received earlier this year.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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