John Cena made his final Massachusetts homecoming a memorable night as he beat Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship in the latest episode of WWE Raw.
Despite Cena’s legendary career as the only World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star to bag 17 world championship runs alongside his memorable reigns as United States champion, he had never won the Intercontinental Championship until now.
This victory against Mysterio also makes him a Grand Slam Champion – an accomplishment attained when a wrestler wins all the major championships throughout their WWE career.
Cena’s final homecoming
Triple H, the company’s chief content officer and a person who had become an enemy and ally to Cena during his career, welcomed the hometown hero to open the episode.
“For me, objectively, he is without a doubt the greatest of all time, and it is my honour to bring him out here now for you all,” Triple H said as he introduced Cena to the hyped-up crowd.
Cena then addressed the arena – although he could barely get a word in over chants of “Thank you, Cena!” – acknowledging the fans’ support and showing gratitude to them.
“What goes on in here is a team effort. It does not happen without each and everyone of you. Thank you,” he said.
He also took note of his final opponent, who will be decided during the “The Last Time Is Now Tournament”, where a superstar will earn the honour of retiring Cena on Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13.
“On my last performance… this is where it gets good. This is where it means so much to me,” Cena revealed.
“It is a night to close one chapter, but it is also going to be a night of opportunity.”
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Out comes Mysterio
Mysterio then came out to cause a scene, threatening to put Cena down.
Cena duly stood up for himself and his hometown, warning Mysterio that he will lose if it comes to blows.
But the 28-year-old son of Rey Mysterio Jr did not back down, prompting Triple H to interrupt and ask Mysterio to defend his belt against Cena “right here, right now” as the crowd went wild.
The high-octane match included a referee bump, a steel chair, and a nod to Eddie Guerrero.
While the referee was out, Cena managed to lock Mysterio into an ‘STF’, which prompted the younger opponent to tap out.
Cena let go of the submission, thinking he had won, yet the match continued as there was no referee to end the bout.
As a second referee entered the match, Cena hit an ‘Attitude Adjustment’, but a determined Mysterio kicked out at two and a half.
Despite the champion managing to line up his opponent for a ‘619’ and ‘Frog Splash’ combo, Cena rolled through the splash and converted it into another ‘Attitude Adjustment’ for the one-two-three.
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