John Cena’s retirement match is on the horizon, and rumors have emerged regarding how his final opponent will be determined.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) reported this week that plans are in place for WWE to announce a tournament with the winner earning the right to face Cena in his last match at the Dec. 13 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C.
Meltzer added that multiple people with knowledge of the plans have confirmed that Gunther will win the tournament and go on to clash with Cena in December.
Assuming those plans come to fruition, here is a projected eight-man tournament that could realistically be booked to determine Cena’s final foe.
Rusev def. Dominik Mysterio
Carmelo Hayes def. The Miz
Drew McIntyre def. Jacob Fatu
Drew McIntyre def. Carmelo Hayes
Gunther def. Drew McIntyre
The aforementioned bracket features a combination of Cena’s rivals from the past such as The Miz, Rusev and Sheamus, and possible dream opponents like Gunther, Carmelo Hayes and Jacob Fatu.
Most of the first-round matchups are tie-ins to existing rivalries, as Rusev and Dominik Mysterio recently did battle over the Intercontinental Championship, The Miz and Hayes split up as a team and Fatu confronted Drew McIntyre on SmackDown.
The third first-round matchup would be a showdown between old rivals in Gunther and Sheamus, who have faced off in many hard-hitting matches over the years.
In this scenario, the semifinals would include a first-time-ever match between Gunther and Rusev that would perhaps be just as physical as Gunther vs. Sheamus, and the first singles match between an established veteran in McIntyre and an up-and-coming star in Hayes.
After a clean win by Gunther and The Miz costing Hayes in his semifinal, the tournament would come down to Gunther and McIntyre, who feuded with each over the Intercontinental Championship in 2023.
Either Gunther or McIntyre would be a strong pick as Cena’s final opponent, but given that Cena has never faced Gunther before, The Ring General gets the nod.
Gunther retired WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg on an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event earlier this year, and he will have the opportunity to do the same to Cena.
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