John Cena lost his final WWE match. WWE via Getty Images

This is how it had to end for John Cena.

As painful as it was for many WWE fans, you could see that the ending brought Cena closure.

The 17-time world champion was back in Gunther’s devastating sleeper hold for the seventh time in the final match of his 23-year WWE career during “Saturday Night’s Main Event” at Capital One Arena on Saturday night.

Right before Cena tapped out for the first time since 2004 , a calming smile came over his face. It was over. He knew it.

See Full Page