• Reason Behind WWE Teasing AEW Stars For John Cena’s Final Match
John Cena’s farewell tour is nearing its end, and WWE has officially announced the details of his final match. The 17-time World Champion is set to retire at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C. on December 13, where his last opponent will be determined through a 16-man “Last Time Is Now” tournament.
The tournament will feature stars from RAW, SmackDown, NXT and even other wrestling promotions. It will kick off next week on RAW in Cena’s hometown of Boston, marking his fourth last appearance before he hangs up his boots.
WWE’s announcement that “faces from other companies” could appear in the tournament has fueled major speculation online. Fans immediately began wondering if AEW stars Adam Copeland (Edge) or Chris Jericho could be involved. Copeland, one of Cena’s greatest rivals, remains under AEW contract, while Jericho’s deal is reportedly set to expire at the end of 2025, with rumors suggesting that he plans to return to WWE for a Hall of Fame induction and retirement tour.
According to the Wrestling Observer, WWE is intentionally teasing the possibility of AEW stars showing up to generate buzz around Cena’s farewell. The company reportedly has no real expectation of securing those names, but they are using the speculation as a strategic move to spark fan discussion and drive major social media engagement ahead of Cena’s final match.
• WWE Recently Discussed John Cena’s 18th World Title Win
John Cena won the 2025 Elimination Chamber Match and went on to defeat Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 41 – Night 2. He dropped the title to The American Nightmare at the first-ever two-night SummerSlam in August.
On Fightful Select Q/A, Sean Ross Sapp mentioned that there were internal discussions within WWE about having John Cena capture the World Championship one more time before his upcoming retirement. However, it’s unclear how far those talks progressed before the idea was ultimately dropped.
These discussions came after Seth Rollins was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship due to a shoulder injury he suffered at Crown Jewel. After The Visionary was sidelined, CM Punk ended up winning the belt last weekend.
John Cena is set to return next Monday night on RAW. It is rumored that he will start a feud with AAA Mega and Intercontinental Champion “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio to plant seeds for an Intercontinental Title match at Survivor Series: WarGames later this month.
The 17-time World Champion could dethrone Dirty Dom to become a Grand Slam Champion ahead of his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13.
