Fans fuming as John Cena's WWE career ends in controversy

John Cena fans have been left gutted after his WWE career ended in controversy this weekend.

The emotional retirement match saw Cena take on Gunther in front of a crowd of almost 20,000 at the Capital One Arena, which aired on the WWE's YouTube channel.

“This is for real, we’re going to go down swinging. Stu, let’s go to work one last time," Cena said prior to the event.

Gunther dominated most of the match and locked Cena in a series of sleeper holds, the final one of which managed to get the better of the 48-year-old.

Much to the crowd's dismay, the Suicide Squad star was forced to tap out and submit to his opponent, leading to a lot of disappointed reactions from audience members.

It's one of four times Cena has ever had to tap out, with the last time being over 20 years ago, in 2004, when he faced Kurt Angle.

John Cena was forced to tap out of his final match with Gunther (Mike Marques/WWE via Getty Images)

According to Fox Sport, fans booed and threw chants of 'bulls**t' and 'You f**ked up' towards Triple H when he came out to hug Cena.

Following the match, the Peacemaker star took his final bow, while the entire locker room headed out to the ring to pay their respects.

“It’s been a pleasure serving you all these years, thank you,” Cena said.

The WWE legend was then shown a video tribute in his honour, before he removed his trainers and wristbands, leaving them in the ring.

He then gave one final salute and left the arena.

Cena confirmed his upcoming retirement earlier this year, letting his fans know that ‘The Last Time is Now’.

The American wrestler-turned-actor has come under criticism for his retirement tour, particularly for the handling of his ‘heel turn’.

He spoke out about this in a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, saying: “I got 11 months to do this. 36 TV appearances.

“It takes five years to get a guy over, regardless. If you turn him, it’s gonna take a year or two on television for it really to sink in. I don’t have the time to tell the right story.”

Fans on social media were left gutted and emotional at the outcome, with one person writing on X: "Never give up was the first motivational quote I learned and it was from John Cena. Farewell my hero."

While another said: "GOAT or not, one thing is undeniable — John Cena defined an era. From hustle to heart, he carried WWE on his shoulders and gave a generation memories that will never fade."

And a third added: "There will never be another John Cena! Ain't no retirement gon be moving the streets like John Cena's till Messi and Ronaldo."