While there was a tease that there could be entrants that “don’t even work here” — the Last Time Is Now tournament is soon to begin.
Set to see sixteen men go to war to determine who will be the last to face John Cena in his WWE career — there could be some surprises straight from AEW.
Here are five AEW stars to enter the ‘Last Time Is Now’ tournament to determine who will be last to face John Cena in WWE.
6. Adam Copeland
When it was announced that the tournament would feature names from outside the company, many fans minds immediately rushed to the same place.
John Cena has faced off against many of his former rivals one last time during his retirement tour, including CM Punk, Randy Orton and AJ Styles, but there is one name that will continue to allude him; arguably his greatest rival ever.
Edge, now going under the name Adam Copeland, signed with AEW in 2023, and with a year left on his deal, it seems like Cena’s retirement tour will come and go without an appearance from the Rated R Superstar.
In a hypothetical world where AEW stars can show up though, you’d imagine he would be the first name on the list.
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5. Chris Jericho
One potential AEW star that WWE fans would love to see enter the ‘Last Time Is Now’ tournament is Chris Jericho.
While Jericho hasn’t been seen in AEW since April 2025, rumors have continued to intensify that it is possible that the nine-time world champion is set to make his way back to WWE.
Sadly, the fans who were hopeful that they could see Cena and Jericho tangle yet again are likely set for disappointment as the timelines don’t seem to align.
Wtih Cena’s last match set for December 13 and reports slating Jericho is under contract with Tony Khan‘s AEW until the end of 2025 — it seems that this reunion wasn’t meant to be.
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4. Danhausen
One amazing surprise entrant to the tournament could be the Very Nice, Very Evil character, Danhausen.
Among a small group of AEW stars that have effectively disappeared from the company, one of the longer absences has been Danhausen.
Despite his absence from AEW TV, Danhausen has seen in-ring competition throughout the world, continuing to appear for a variety of independent promotions.
Potentially free from his contractual obligations to AEW at some point in the near future, perhaps it will be in time to join the ‘Last Time Is Now’ tournament.
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3. MJF
While there are vague rumblings that perhaps WWE could be interested in asking to borrow Adam Copeland from AEW to appear ahead of John Cena’s last match — the speculation has been widely refuted.
However, if there were any active AEW stars that could potentially make the biggest impact on loan it might be MJF.
With John Cena and MJF notably sharing the red carpet together already and sparking headlines with wrestling fans, the moment could bring incredible attention to AEW.
While this is obviously the least likely to occur, it would still make for a shocking moment that would bring positive buzz to everyone involved.
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2. Keith Lee
A fan favorite during his time in NXT, it could be that Keith Lee goes the way of Rusev & Aleister Black by returning to WWE.
Although Lee recently responded to a fan that he was doing well, he has not seen action in AEW since December 2023.
With Lee making his initial debut in AEW back in February 2022, it isn’t clear when his contract with the company is complete since he was out of action for some time with injury.
With Lee commenting back in September that a return to the ring will “certainly happen”, he was clear that he wouldn’t be posting about when or where… a potential signal that perhaps Lee could return to WWE in time to tangle with John Cena.
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1. Isiah Kassidy
A pair of stars that have been missing in action since January 2025 are Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen who went by the tag team name Private Party in AEW.
After dropping the AEW World Tag Team Championship to the Hurt Syndicate, they have never returned to AEW TV.
Potentially a huge launching pad for either star, it could be that Kassidy is out of contract in advance of Quen based on time out of action due to injury for the latter.
Possibly able to debut in the tournament, it would be an amazing introduction to the WWE audience for at least one of the captivating duo.
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