Jim Ross has defended the controversial finish to John Cena’s retirement match, stating that the decision to have Cena tap out to Gunther was the “right call.” The WWE Hall of Famer discussed the match on the latest episode of Grilling JR, arguing that Cena’s legacy was already cemented regardless of the outcome.
“I thought it was the right call. You know, John Cena is legacy, and his the feel of John Cena his career, the whole nine yards, it just winning or losing was not going to affect that,” Ross said. “He was already a made man. Tony Soprano did not need to shoot one more person to be a badass. He’d already killed plenty, and he was the guy.”
Ross also reflected on his role in signing Cena to WWE, recalling how he scouted the future 17-time World Champion. He shared a story about flying back to Stamford to tell Vince McMahon he had found a future WrestleMania headliner, a claim McMahon was initially skeptical of.
“I flew back on a red eye and landed, and went straight to the office. And this was there, and I told him, I said, I just signed a guy that’ll be for headline WrestleMania,” Ross recalled. “And Vince thought I was crazy. He said, You’re just sleep deprived or some s**t.”
Regarding Gunther, Ross heaped praise on the former World Heavyweight Champion, noting that the victory solidified his status as a top star.
“I guarantee one thing, of all of everybody on the WWE roster… if I had a territory, and I just won the lottery, and I’m going to start my own territory, and I got to do a draft, I promise your ass Gunther will be at the very near, the very top echelon… of the draft,” Ross stated. “He’s got character. He’s got integrity. He takes care of himself. He looks good.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
