WWE may have subtly foreshadowed John Cena's last-ever opponent, says wrestling veteran

John Cena's last WWE match is around the corner, and the company may have already teased it. Recently, Vince Russo stated there's a high chance that the company could book Brock Lesnar as The Franchise Player's final opponent.

John Cena's retirement tour didn't go the way one expected, as The Franchise Player's heel run was all over the place, and the 48-year-old legend was forced to pivot two days before his title defense against Cody Rhodes at WWE SummerSlam 2025. However, it took a worse turn for him when he lost to Brock Lesnar in a humiliating fashion following six F5s at Wrestlepalooza in Indiana.

Speaking on Behind The Turnbuckle Studios' The Coach and Bro Show, Vince Russo stated that the company subtly teased another match between Lesnar and Cena following their encounter at Wrestlepalooza. The wrestling veteran stated that The Beast could be The Franchise Player's final opponent in the company due to the way their last match was booked. However, he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't go that route.

"I'm assuming that they're going to come back to this [Brock Lesnar] for [John] Cena's last match to get revenge on Lesnar, and he goes out with a victory. That's what I'm assuming. If that does not happen and Lesnar dominated him the way he did and we never go back to that, which wouldn't shock me either, but I would be very surprised Coach if that's not the plan," Russo said.

WWE announced John Cena's next match after Wrestlepalooza

John Cena faced several names from his past in his retirement tour, and while he was a heel in those feuds, The Franchise Player went over, as this is his final year as a full-time performer for WWE before he officially hangs up his wrestling boots in December 2025.

However, he didn't get the chance to face AJ Styles, as an opportunity didn't arise. Later, The Franchise Player took matters into his own hands when he started tweeting, and fans pitched in as they wanted to see a clash between the two names before December.

The management heard loud and clear and officially announced a one-on-one bout between Cena and Styles in Perth for WWE Crown Jewel 2025. It'll be interesting to see which star leaves the event in Australia with a win.

If you use quotes from the article, please credit Behind The Turnbuckle Studios and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Aakaansh is a WWE news writer in Sportskeeda. After getting hooked on professional wrestling in 2008 watching WWE and TNA, he found himself admiring the work ethic and passion of the wrestlers for their craft, the business, and the industry as a whole.

With a post-graduate degree in writing, and currently pursuing a Master's degree in Communication, Aakaansh's knack for writing and love of pro wrestling eventually led him to SK seven years ago before he found a permanent place in the division in 2021, initially writing SEO content and transitioning to news in April 2022.

He is committed to producing detailed, factual, and unbiased reports free of opinion, which will resonate with both long-term and newer fans. When not writing about pro wrestling, Aakaansh is engaged in the dynamic worlds of pop culture, anime, and Fortnite.

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Edited by Aakaansh Sukale