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In the end, there were no surprises. No run-ins or plot twists. No last-minute extensions to the retirement tour. No headline-stealing appearances from “The Final Boss” to set up next year’s WrestleMania. Instead, WWE played it straight and simple — as they knew they had to do.

From the minute Gunther was reported to be John Cena’s final opponent months ago, most of us figured the Austrian would emerge as the victor. Not just because of the long-standing tradition — one that won’t be lost on Cena — that retiring wrestlers go out with a loss, but also due to the determination on the GOAT’s part to promote and put over younger talent.

By the time Saturday arrived, that consensus appeared to have gone out the window. The match was being credibly reported as a toss-up. Those memes about The Rock appearing to make claims to Cena’s soul — and thus furthering the whole “Final Boss” storyline for another WrestleMania — began to pop up again on social media. Surely, it couldn’t really happen?

Instead, the 17-time champion stuck to the tried-and-tested rulebook. Cena fought his hardest against “The Ring General.” He countered submissions, swallowed those mighty chops, and even hit a stunning AA from the steel steps. He did his best to put Gunther down for the three-count but had to make do with 2.9 instead. Then, when the time came, he was ready to lose.

We can quibble about whether Cena should have tapped out given his whole “Never Give Up” shtick. But in all likelihood, he will be doing Gunther a favor on that front. More than six months after his big loss to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41, the Austrian heavyweight is still being taunted with “you tapped out” chants. Maybe this will finally put them to sleep, too.

Crucially, Cena’s defeat took none of the emotion out of his final moments. No sooner had the bell rung than his opponent was quietly skulking out of the arena, leaving Cena to receive his flowers. The Washington D.C. crowd applauded like it was going out of fashion, as various WWE talents and luminaries appeared to surround the ring and pay their respects. Job done.

It wasn’t complicated, and it didn’t need to be. Indeed, one of the lessons from this whole retirement tour is the simple stuff usually works best. The whole “ruin wrestling” angle from earlier this year was a clear example of what happens when you overthink things. No one can say that about Saturday night.

While Cena’s arc was predictable, there were a handful of small surprises this weekend, spread out like Easter eggs in a season finale. The sight of Kevin Owens looking comfortable after his horrendous neck surgery got a decent pop from the wrestling faithful. There were also package videos that hadn’t been pre-broadcast on social media. The Rock appeared — as did Vince McMahon.

When it came to the undercard matches, WWE made the right call to let the wrestling speak for itself. Seeing the likes of AJ Styles and Edge pay tribute to their own histories with John Cena was genuinely moving. Having up-and-comers like Sol Ruca and Leon Slater imitating his moves would have just felt contrived. Better instead to let them go out there and make the case for why they deserve to be wrestling on more big shows in future.

WWE also made the right decision not to over-egg the pudding when it came to the ending. After looking genuinely moved as he watched one final video package, Cena made the slow journey back to the locker room. There was a moment where he looked back at the ring, as if contemplating one final run and slide — before seemingly thinking twice.

Instead, he walked back behind the curtain, leaving the lights to go out behind him. Remember that explosion of color when John Cena returned to his God-given babyface entrance back at SummerSlam? This was the mirror image of that — and just as moving. Even Michael Cole stayed silent, wisely resisting any temptation to give the moment its own “One small step for mankind…” treatment.

Everyone knows WWE fumbled the first half of this retirement tour — the portion that featured the majority of Cena’s appearances — but the second half has been much better. Saturday night’s finale continued that trend. It was simple, it was straightforward, it was unashamedly sentimental — and it was all the better for it.