The bracket is nearly complete as opening-round matches are underway.
‘The Last Time is Now’ Tournament will feature 16 men all vying to earn the honor of being John Cena’s final opponent, and Raw General Manager Adam Pearce pulled four more names out of his tumbler Monday night at the TD Garden in Boston.
Former World Heavyweight Champion Gunther will be returning from injury next Monday night inside of Madison Square Garden to take on NXT’s Je’Von Evans, while Solo Sikoa will battle an opponent that was too good for Pearce to spoil. The leader of the MFT’s will have to wait to find out until next week.
ONE STEP CLOSER. 👏
Sheamus advances in The Last Time Is Now Tournament! pic.twitter.com/jZBxPslnHM
— WWE (@WWE) November 11, 2025
Those two announcements came on the heels of the first two opening round matches that saw Rusev and Sheamus advance to the semi-finals by defeating Damian Priest and Shinsuke Nakamura, respectively. The final four competitors of the tournament are expected to be unveiled this Friday on SmackDown.
John Cena said that Monday night’s show from his hometown was going to a special one and he delivered on that promise by capturing the Men’s Intercontinental Championship from Dirty Dominik Mysterio in an impromptu match to begin the evening’s festivities.
This is the first time in his career that Cena has held the Men’s IC Title, and with his victory Monday night, he officially became a WWE Grand Slam Champion with just three dates remaining before his retirement. He’s one of fewer than two dozen men ever to accomplish that feat.
John Cena Side Plates on the #ICTitle in 2025???
HELL YEAH! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/51oLN9fSrp
— WWE (@WWE) November 11, 2025
With an extremely limited number of appearances left on his farewell tour, it’s very possible that the winner of ‘The Last Time is Now’ Tournament will also earn an opportunity at the Intercontinental Championship.
Cena’s final match will take place at Saturday Night’s Main Event coming up on December 13 from the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. And prior to his match with Dirty Dom, John made a notable announcement about that show.
In the spirit of wanting to leave the business in a better position than where he found it, Cena wants to showcase the future of WWE on the night his career comes to a close by hosting a series of exhibition matches between main roster Superstars and the upcoming stars of NXT. No competitors have been announced, as of this writing.
‘Last Time Is Now’ Tournament Opening Round Matches & Results:
Rusev | WWE
Rusev defeated Damian Priest to advance to the Semi-Finals Monday night in BostonSheamus defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to advance to the Semi-Finals Monday night in BostonThe Miz vs. Jey Uso – Taking place on 11/14 SmackDown in Albany, New YorkLA Knight vs. Surprise Opponent – Taking place on 11/14 SmackDown in Albany, New YorkJe’Von Evans vs. Gunther – Taking place on 11/17 at Madison Square Garden in New York CitySolo Sikoa vs. Surprise Opponent – Taking place on 11/17 at Madison Square Garden in New York City
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