John Cena Retirement Match: Last Time Is Now The tournament is about to start
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John Cena Retirement Match: Last Time Is Now The tournament is about to start

Nitashi

Highlighting

  • WWE Announces First Four Entrants for Last Time is Now Tournament to Determine John Cena’s Final Opponent for Retirement Match on December 13
  • Rusev faces Damian Priest while Sheamus battles Shinsuke Nakamura in opening round matches that take place in Cena’s hometown of Boston.
  • Twelve tournament spots remain open and speculation abounds about potential surprise entrants and cross-promotion possibilities

Who will be John Cena’s opponent in his final WWE match on December 13th in Washington DC on Saturday Night’s Main Event? We know four of the 16 men who will take part in the Last Time is Now tournament.

The winner will be Cena’s opponent in his legendary match. On Raw, Adam Pearce announced the first two matches in the upcoming tournament. Rusev will face Damian Priest and Sheamus will face Shinsuke Nakamura on Raw in Cena’s hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.

Frankly, it would be a surprise if any of these four emerged victorious in the tournament. Cena’s final opponent will likely be someone who can use the spotlight as a platform for promotion or a blast from the past whose presence will make SNME the main attraction.

Neither Sheamus, Damian Priest, Nakamura nor Rusev ticked both of those boxes. Once we heard Cena break down the contenders’ options for the tournament, we knew there was no way the field was stacked with logical winners.

With 12 more spots left, I have some guesses as to who WWE might choose to fill out the rest of the bracket.

Dominic Mysterio

Recently, future WWE Hall of Famer Natalya was on the Busted Open podcast and said that she would like to see Mysterio get there.

i agree It could be argued that Dom is the hottest young superstar in the promotion and this match could elevate him even higher.

Fringe

Yes, he’s with AEW, but of all the people Cena has faced during his storied career, the Rated R Superstar is the only one of his legendary rivalries that he didn’t face on his farewell tour.

It would take some unprecedented collaboration between AEW and WWE, but never say never.

Carmelo Hayes

Hayes’ recent face change might put him out, but otherwise he’s seemingly the guy in the right part of his career for the job. He could be pumped with a win over Cena in his retirement match.

Austin’s theory

They met once before at WrestleMania 39, but things didn’t go well for Theory – despite his victory. With rumors of a Theory repackage, he would be a great fit for a rematch with Cena.

Omos

WWE has struggled mightily for the past 10 years to book giants properly. Omos has an almost unprecedented size and distinctive appearance. Could a hard-fought but dominant win over Cena be the right call and push Omos to do something significant?

Williams trick

At some point, Trick has to make a big-time call. I’m not sure how much better he’ll get on the mic while he’s still down in NXT. Moving him to Raw could be the final change and a win over Cena would be legendary.

Joe Hendry

Although he’s seemingly cooled off a bit over the past six months, Hendry’s name has been on fire in 2024 and the first part of 2025. He seems to be a natural fit for one of WWE’s biggest brands. If he takes part in Cena’s retirement match, he will have a huge impact on the promotion.

Both Femi

If you haven’t seen him on NXT, let me tell you, Oba Femi is a monster and a future superstar with WWE. He has presence, power and could be a great choice as Cena’s final opponent.

I can imagine him having a similar rise to Stephanie Vaquer once he lands on one of the big brands.

Chris Jericho

Rumors suggest that Jericho is on his way back to WWE. Most believe he will return to the Royal Rumble. However, this spot against Cena in his retirement match is just as big. Jericho can handle it, so we’ll see.

Gravedigger

I’m not sure the Phenom can pull off the kind of match it takes to be Cena’s final opponent – let alone compete in matches just to get to Cena. This means that Price vs. The Undertaker in the former’s final match would be formidable.

CM Punk

I only give Punk because he literally called out Cena on Raw. It seems unlikely, but there is no doubt that it will sell on name recognition and popularity. They also have quite a long history so it could be interesting.

Je’Von Evans

I would be over the moon if Evans got the seat. He’s one of the most dynamic workers I’ve seen in a decade, and he’s on the rise. Evans is one of the main attractions in NXT, even though he hasn’t won the developmental league title.

Still, he could be a great fit for this match and the two could bring the house down.

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