AEW's MVP Assesses John Cena's Final WWE Match

AEW's MVP has defended John Cena and the way he retired in WWE, tapping to Gunther, a decision that has become controversial.

Many have criticized Cena for tapping out, going against his ethos of "never give up." But, his former opponent and rival, MVP, feels that Cena was just giving back to the business by putting a young star over.

"Well, the old adage in our wrestling business is you come in on your back, you go out on your back. So when you come in losing, learning, and you go out taking whatever cache you built up, transferring it to another young star who finally beats you. And in this case, that's the classic situation of, you know, Gunther's got a lot of cache, a lot of momentum," explained MVP on "Marking Out with MVP & Dwayne Swayze." "Obviously, they think the world of him to give him that position to be able to beat John Cena with a submission, no less. John Cena's whole shtick through the years is never give up. You know, hustle, loyalty, respect, and never give up."

He feels Cena wouldn't have lost to Gunther if he didn't want to, while also praising the 17-time world champion and all that he gave to the pro wrestling business. MVP stated that Cena was a true pro who rarely complained and worked hard. Many have wondered why Cena smiled while tapping out, with MVP claiming that the now-retired star could've been signaling it was time for him to end his career. 

"He gave up. He finally gave up. It was time. And I think he smiled because either he was just like, 'Okay, it's time to go. We're finally here. It's over now.' Or, as I said, from a jiu-jitsu perspective, [it was like], 'God damn, he got me, man. I can't get out of this.'"

MVP paid tribute to Cena, calling him a "once-in-a-lifetime" performer and wishing him all the best, and is grateful for having the honor of being in the same ring and locker room as him.