Gunther Forces LA Knight to Tap Out, Its John Cena vs. Gunther at SNME

In a gut-wrenching, high-stakes match tonight on Friday Night SmackDown, Gunther defeated LA Knight in the final of the Last Time is Now tournament. It’s not the victory but the way he won that made headlines. He forced one of the toughest WWE superstars, LA Knight, to tap out to his brutality. This was done deliberately as he had a message for John Cena at the end.

“Hey John, I hope you paid attention. At Saturday Night’s Main Event, you finally and definitely will give up.” Gunther was seen shouting at the camera. John Cena is known for his Never Give Up attitude and has lost a match via tapout twice during his initial days with WWE, way back in 2003. If Gunther can force John Cena to tap out at SNME, it would be a huge statement and a major career boost.

"You finally and definitely will give up!"

Gunther has quite the message for John Cena… 👀 pic.twitter.com/WmcgOVcl3j
— WWE (@WWE) December 6, 2025

The Ring General Earns the Right to Retire, John Cena

The Moody Center crowd in Austin, Texas, was left heartbroken at the end of Friday Night SmackDown, as they were in full support of LA Knight. The Megastar channeled all his energy, but could only delay the inevitable slightly. He entered the match as an underdog but was able to avoid the initial onslaught from Gunther with his speed and charisma.

How did Gunther kick out after all that?! 😱 pic.twitter.com/NiBqwvezfb
— WWE (@WWE) December 6, 2025

LA Knight was able to deliver a series of his signature moves to Gunther, but none of them were enough to keep Ring General down. Gunther’s cold and methodical brutality proved too much for LA Knight. He seized his opportunity when he noticed an issue with LA Knight’s neck, channeling all his aggression toward the vulnerable area.

Gunther just keeps going 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/WdalxZ7Y2c
— WWE (@WWE) December 6, 2025

A series of blows to LA Knight’s neck, and then a variation of STF was all it took for Gunther to force his opponent to tap out. Gunther secured victory in a hard-fought final of the Last Time is Now tournament and will now face John Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, 2025.

John Cena will be facing Gunther in his final match NEXT WEEK at #SNME! pic.twitter.com/dVWN0CfKuM
— WWE (@WWE) December 6, 2025

Image Credit: WWE.com

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Ashish Negi

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I am Ashish Negi, and I work as a WWE and NFL writer at The Playoffs. I have 5 years of experience in content writing, and I have written in different domains like Real Estate, but I found my love while writing in sports. I love watching sports and have been a fan of WWE and cricket. I got an opportunity to write full-time on WWE and NFL here, so following the footstep of my hero John Cena, I turn heel on my last company