Triple H: ‘John Cena Is One of the Most Universally Respected Performers I Have Ever Seen,’ Says Everyone Wanted To Be Ringside for His Final Bow

During the post-show broadcast for tonight’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, top WWE creative executive, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, commented on the post-show celebration of John Cena following the wrestler’s final match.

Triple H explained how Cena will still have a role in WWE moving forward despite retiring from the ring tonight. Also, he said that Cena is “one of the most universally respected performers” he has ever seen. Below are some highlights from the post-show Q&A:

On John Cena’s Role in WWE Moving Forward

“John’s passion for WWE didn’t end tonight. His in-ring career ended tonight. His competitive stature, and that’s a place that — it’s rare that people see the end there and think this is exactly how I want to go out, and they get to do it. And that’s what John got to do tonight. He had his sort of farewell run for this year on his terms and got to do what here in a way tonight that just — it meant the world to him, and I could see it out there in his eyes as he was performing. Just having the time of his life. One thing I know about John is that every time I’ve seen him going to that ring, he’s having a blast doing it. Tonight was no different.”

Triple H on His Takeaway for the Post-Match Celebration for John Cena

“My takeaway is respect. Respect for a man who deserves all the respect he is getting, and everything that people, fans, put into that match. The people who were here. The records that were set tonight. We crushed a record year for this building, not just for WWE, which we did, but for this building. You see this reaction. You see the passion that is here. You see the passion from them now. That’s all for John. That is the respect level for John. We didn’t have to make, and he will be here tonight. They all wanted to be here. They all wanted to be ringside. They all wanted to be ringside for John’s moment. It is respect. It’s respect for John. He is probably one of the most universally respected performers I have ever seen in this business.”

John Cena lost via submission against Gunther in the main event of tonight’s show.

If using any of the above quotes, please credit WWE, with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.