- John Cena won the Intercontinental Championship, becoming a Grand Slam Champion near the end of his 23-year WWE career
- Fans praised the emotional and eventful Raw episode, calling it one of the best shows of the year
- WWE announces a major twist for Saturday Night’s Main Event
Just weeks before his retirement, WWE icon John Cena has smashed another record.
The 48-year-old wrestler is hanging up his sneakers and jorts for the last time at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, but the company has proven there’s plenty of time for some more twists and turns.
On last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix, Cena finally won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in his 23-year career.
By capturing the title that’s eluded him over the years, he’s become a Grand Slam Champion a staggering 20 years after winning the WWE Title, which came 13 months after the United States Title, his first taste of WWE gold.
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Triple H introduced Cena to a hometown Boston crowd at the start of the show, and it wasn’t long until IC Champ Dominik Mysterio interrupted to talk some trash.
It led to an Intercontinental Title match being made right there and as Cena took on the 28-year-old superstar.
After a highly entertaining bout which let both men shine under the spotlight, Cena was able to put Dirty Dom away with another Attitude Adjustment.
Fans were overjoyed by the special moment, which left many in floods of tears, and everyone full of praise for the episode as a whole.
‘I’m crying right now man. I feel like a little kid again, seeing my childhood hero winning gold,’ wrote @SaikyoGroove, while @MellowareBlak35 added: ‘I’m in tears. This is a checkmark in his terrific career. This is a Moet drinking moment.’
What is the WWE Grand Slam?
The original men’s Grand Slam format – first awarded to Shawn Michaels – required superstars to win either the WWE or World Heavyweight Titles, tag team gold, the Intercontinental Championship, and either the European or Hardcore Title.
Since 2015, stars need to win a world championship, a tag team title, and either the Intercontinental or United States title.
Kurt Angle was the first to capture the modern-day Grand Slam.
And @MichNightMares added: ‘John Cena is finally GrandSlam new international champ wooooo congrats 🥳 omg I am crying my eyes out (sic)’
‘Probably the best Raw so far this year. #WWERaw,’ raved @dmolesevich, as @solelyjus agreed: ‘Tonight’s RAW show was one of the best RAW shows of the year! 🔥🔥🔥’
Meanwhile, Cena’s IC Title win sets the stage for the final few weeks of the wrestler turned Hollywood star’s in-ring career, and the ongoing The Last Time Is Now tournament to find his last ever opponent.
In the first opening round matches on Raw, Rusev and Sheamus beat Damian Priest and Shinsuke Nakamura respectively, while next week Je’Von Evans will face GUNTHER as Solo Sikoa battles a surprise opponent.
There are another four first round bouts to be set up, with the winner poised to challenge Cena for his championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
As well as shining a light on whoever is set to beat him for the title in his retirement match, Cena also revealed a big twist for the show as a whole during his Raw promo.
While he will headline the event against the tournament winner, he confirmed the undercard will be made up of exhibition matches pitting main roster Raw and SmackDown stars against promising talent from NXT.
Elsewhere on the show, Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky returned at the end of the night to save Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair from Kabuki Warriors, Nia Jax and Lash Legend, setting the scene for WarGames.
On the men’s side, Cody Rhodes came to the rescue of Jey Uso and CM Punk against The Vision as Survivor Series approaches.
Fans also saw Nikki Bella turn heel on Stephanie Vaquer, staking her claim for the Women’s World Title after the champ’s victory over Raquel Rodriguez.
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