John Cena will wrestle his final match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, bringing an end to a 23-year career that has made him one of the most recognizable figures in sports entertainment.
Over the past year, Cena has taken his farewell tour around the world, stopping in Paris, Brussels and London, with WWE superstars now battling through The Last Time Is Now Tournament, with the winner earning the right to face him one last time in Washington, DC.
That global spotlight has naturally crossed the Atlantic, especially as UK bookmaker free bet offers rise while the odds shift on who will face Cena in his final match. Punters are following the brackets closely and trying to read how creative will steer the final stretch.
Wrestling may be scripted, but it remains one of the most unpredictable betting markets. Creative choices can change without warning, so a farewell match is never a foregone conclusion.
Tournament action began on the November 10 episode of Raw and will run across Raw and SmackDown until the final Saturday Night’s Main Event of 2025. Cena teamed with Rey Mysterio and Sheamus to defeat The Judgment Day on his last Raw appearance earlier this month, a fitting final chapter for the man who carried the brand for so long.
With WWE moving to Netflix, a wave of old fans have returned to tune in for that childhood nostalgia and to say goodbye to the man who provided them with so many memories growing up.
Now attention turns to the question everyone is asking. Who gets the final match? The 16-man bracket includes active stars from both brands, rising names from NXT like Je’Von Evans, and familiar veterans such as The Miz.
We’ve already seen returns from Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder, a sign that WWE wants this last run to feel like a genuine celebration of two decades of rivalries and reinventions.
With the picture still wide open, here is a breakdown of the leading contenders as we approach the final weeks of Cena’s career.
Gunther
If the rumour mill is to be believed, the Austrian powerhouse stands head and shoulders above the competition. Reports linking Gunther to Cena’s retirement match surfaced as early as August, and his win over Evans in the first round has only fuelled the fire.
The two have never shared a ring, but the match would still make perfect sense. Gunther has been out since losing the World Heavyweight Championship to CM Punk at SummerSlam and needs a major moment to mark his return.
Retiring Cena would put him straight back at the top of the card and would reinforce the idea that he is the dominant force WWE wants to build around. From a storytelling point of view, the unstoppable heel ending the career of the ultimate hero is an easy fit.
Jey Uso
Royal Rumble winner Jey Uso has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence, and recent episodes suggest Triple H’s faith in “Main Event Jey” remains unshaken.
Having already advanced past the tournament’s opening round over The Miz, his credentials deserve serious consideration.
This year’s Royal Rumble concluded with Uso stunning the world, and Cena, by eliminating the veteran to claim victory with the Yeet. That moment electrified audiences and positioned Uso as a genuine main-event player. Could he replicate that upset eleven months later on an even grander stage? The narrative appeal is undeniable.
Should he defeat LA Knight in their quarterfinal clash, Uso’s path to December 13 becomes considerably clearer. For punters weighing storyline logic against booking patterns, he brings a compelling mid-range option.
LA Knight
Few wrestlers embody WWE’s frustratingly inconsistent booking quite like the self-proclaimed “Megastar.”
Despite being a Raw mainstay who consistently generates crowd reactions, Knight repeatedly finds himself overlooked when championship opportunities arise.
WWE could rectify past missteps by positioning Knight in the biggest match of his career. It’s perhaps optimistic thinking, but the company needs charismatic, promo-driven stars on SmackDown following Cena’s departure. Knight’s crowd work and mic skills make him a natural fit for that void.
His quarterfinal bout with Uso may well determine whether WWE is finally ready to pull the trigger. If they are, backing Knight could prove shrewd.
Rusev
WrestleMania 31 delivered one of the decade’s most memorable entrances when Rusev, then operating kayfabe as a Russian powerhouse, rode into Levi’s Stadium atop a Soviet-era T-55 tank.
The theater surrounding his U.S. Championship match against Cena perfectly captured mid-2010s WWE spectacle.
But as visually arresting as that feud proved, it doesn’t feel like territory WWE is eager to revisit unless he shocks the tournament as a dark horse, which makes him one to watch.
Edge
Among the 17-time champs’ greatest rivals in the Ruthless Aggression and PG eras, Edge delivered consistently classic encounters whenever he and Cena shared the ring.
From the Money in the Bank cash-ins alone, the romantic in us would love to see the ultimate opportunist bypass the tournament and challenge the winner.
Recent speculation intensified following Adam Copeland’s departure from AEW television to film a movie, timing that coincidentally aligns with Cena’s December 13 retirement date. Could WWE grant the Rated R Superstar a one-off return to face his greatest rival? Imagine the pop if Metalingus does play that night.
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The Last Time Is Now. Cena’s retirement marks the end of an era that transcended wrestling itself. For millions who grew up watching him overcome impossible odds, deliver stirring promos, and carry WWE through its most challenging periods, December 13 represents a genuine farewell to childhood.
The booking of his final run has been inconsistent at times, with some questioning the tournament format and match selections. But Triple H has to stick the landing. With Netflix bringing lapsed fans back to witness this moment, the pressure to get it right has never been higher for an ending fitting of the Greatest Of All Time.
