WWE's Next Big Thing should be John Cena's final opponent, according to Bully Ray

John Cena's final in-ring opponent should be WWE's Next Big Thing, according to veteran Bully Ray. With 11 dates left in his Farewell Tour, fans are wondering who will share the ring with the 17-time World Champion in his retirement match.

Many names, from The Rock to Gunther, have been thrown around by fans for Cena's final match. Recently, while speaking on the Busted Open Podcast, David LaGreca pitched The Ring General as The Franchise Player's last WWE opponent, but Bully Ray had a different idea. The veteran wants Bron Breakker to battle The Unseen 17 in the 48-year-old's final in-ring outing.

As part of Seth Rollins' Vision faction on RAW, Breakker has been heavily touted to be the future of WWE. During the July 14, 2025, episode of RAW, Paul Heyman even referred to Bron Breakker as the Next Big Thing, a moniker he once used for Brock Lesnar.

"Bron Breakker... I don't want to see Seth Rollins in there with John. I don't want to see Randy Orton in there with John. I don't want to see Cody," he said. [8:04 onward]

WWE has found the female Roman Reigns - Check out now!

Bully Ray then explained why he doesn't want to see the established names take on John Cena in his retirement match. The WWE Hall of Famer wants to see someone who can benefit from the situation.

"I want to see somebody that [sic] can benefit from this moment. Because the entire thing is going to be about a moment. The match is going to be insignificant. The moment is going to be when the bell rings and you are standing across the ring from John Cena in his last match in Boston. That's the moment. You're also going to be the guy in the ring with John Cena when the finish happens," he added. [8:54-9:21]

You can check the video below:

John Cena's next WWE appearance confirmed

After competing on SmackDown last week in a tag team match, John Cena was absent from this week's edition of the blue brand's show.

During this week's episode, a video package highlighting the standoff between Cena and Logan Paul aired, and it confirmed The Last Real Champion's next appearance.

Cena is set to be a part of next week's SmackDown, which is set to air from Dublin, Ireland, as part of WWE's European tour.

The Hollywood megastar is set to face Logan Paul in a singles match at the Clash in Paris Premium Live Event on August 31.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit the Busted Open Podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

Know More

How WWE is ruining Rhea Ripley - Watch Here!

Edited by Yash Mittal