Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena rematch should not happen, WWE legend thinks

Brock Lesnar decisively defeated John Cena at WWE Wrestlepalooza on September 20. In a recent podcast episode, Matt Hardy gave his honest thoughts on speculation surrounding a possible rematch.

Lesnar hit Cena with six consecutive F-5s to record a dominant victory over his legendary rival. The nine-minute bout was expected to be the last meeting between the two men. However, many have speculated that they could face off again in Cena's retirement match at Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13.

On The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy told host Jon Alba that fans are unlikely to be interested in a rematch.

"Jon, we don't always agree, but I do agree with you there. I don't see him [Brock Lesnar] going out [and renewing the rivalry]. I feel like beating him in less than a 10-minute match, he was dominant at the end of it, right? It was multiple F-5s over and over again. I don't feel like that's gonna make people crave a return match."

Cena's next match will take place on October 11 at Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia. The 17-time World Champion is set to face AJ Styles one-on-one for the first time since 2018.

Matt Hardy on WWE's logic behind Brock Lesnar beating John Cena

While a Brock Lesnar victory at Wrestlepalooza was not unexpected, the one-sided nature of the match surprised many fans.

Matt Hardy believes WWE's decision-makers booked the contest that way to reintroduce The Beast Incarnate as an unstoppable force.

"I feel like that was, if nothing else, it was just showing Brock is back and Brock is still a monster, he's still The Beast, and he just destroyed John Cena when he is not supposed to be getting destroyed."

Lesnar had not wrestled since losing to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam 2023. He is listed internally to compete at the 2026 Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 42.

Please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart