The John Cena ‘Last Time is Now’ Tournament was officially announced at Saturday Night’s Main Event, with the winner set to receive a career-defining opportunity to challenge the 17-time world champion in his final WWE match.
After the announcement it was teased that some stars from outside WWE could enter the tournament, commencing the speculation as to who could potentially take part.
Here are seven non-WWE stars to potentially enter the John Cena ‘Last Time is Now’ Tournament.
7. Bishop Dyer (Baron Corbin)
While not one of Cena’s most well remembered rivalries, Bishop Dyer (fka Baron Corbin) ran into “Big Match John” during what was meant to be his breakout period in WWE in the Summer of 2017.
Holding the Money in the Bank briefcase, Dyer saw his cash-in attempt on WWE Champion Jinder Mahal thwarted by Cena, with the pair then competing against one another in a singles match at that year’s SummerSlam.
Cena won that match and Dyer never became a world champion during his subsequent seven years in WWE; so there is a story that could be told should he return to the company and enter the ‘Last Time is Now’ Tournament.
Given that Cena delivered an ‘End of Days’ on Logan Paul at WWE Clash in Paris and Dyer shared a GIF of himself hitting Cena with the MITB briefcase in reaction to the announcement of the Tournament, perhaps this one could happen?
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6. Matt Cardona
As soon as it was announced that non-WWE names could potentially compete in John Cena’s Tournament, most fans’ minds would have immediately jumped to is Matt Cardona.
Cardona has made no secret of his desire to return to WWE and recently did just that as a part of the TNA Invasion of WWE NXT, which also resulted in him competing in his first WWE match since 2020.
Cardona’s NXT match was something Cena himself acknowledged via social media, with Cena also giving the former Zack Ryder a shout out during his ‘Pipe Bomb’ promo on CM Punk back in June.
There’s clearly a lot of love between the two, so one would imagine that Cardona has a really good shot of being selected for the tournament out of all the possible names from outside the company.
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5. Nic Nemeth
Another name that John Cena shouted out during his ‘Pipe Bomb’, Nic Nemeth is another star who has a real shot at returning to WWE for the ‘Last Time is Now’ Tournament.
Like Cardona, Nemeth is a featured star on TNA Wrestling, so facilitating a crossover appearance shouldn’t be an issue whatsoever, providing the former Dolph Ziggler is interested.
Nemeth and Cena had a memorable feud in WWE back in 2012, with their main event match at WWE TLC 2012 being one of Nemeth’s biggest wins.
Could they run it back one more time? Nemeth should at the very least get the chance to compete for that opportunity.
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4. Joe Hendry
Unlike others on this list, Joe Hendry has zero history with John Cena but is someone who has been banging the drum to face-off with WWE’s “Greatest of All Time” ever since he first announced his WWE Farewell Tour.
While he didn’t outright say anything, Hendry did share a timely image of his face to social media shortly after John Cena’s Tournament was announced, suggesting once again that he’s keen to earn that match.
Hendry is still currently signed to TNA, but appears likely to join WWE once his contract expires, so him taking part in the tournament could serve as a nice prelude for what’s to come from the Scotsman even if he doesn’t win the entire thing.
At the very least a face-to-face meeting between Hendry and Cena would make for a nice moment, especially given Hendry already competed against Cena’s legendary rival Randy Orton back at WrestleMania 41.
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3. Chris Jericho
Much like Joe Hendry, Chris Jericho is someone who is expected to sign with WWE upon the expiry of his existing contract, in this case with All Elite Wrestling.
Jericho has been absent from AEW television since April, and with his deal said to be up at the end of 2025, it seems unlikely he’ll be returning.
Despite all signs pointing towards a WWE return, it is the date of his contract expiring that is unfortunately going to be what prevents him from competing in John Cena’s ‘Last Time is Now’ Tournament.
While it may be unlikely, perhaps he and Tony Khan can negotiate an early release? Given Jericho’s contributions to AEW over the years it’s not entirely out of the realms of possibility.
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2. Adam Copeland
Unlike Chris Jericho, who seems on the outs in AEW, Adam Copeland very much is not, despite his current absence from television.
Copeland taking a leave of absence from AEW following FTR’s attack on his wife Beth Phoenix was something that led to a lot of speculation among fans regarding his status in the company, with many hoping that he could potentially be set for a WWE return to challenge Cena one last time.
While that doesn’t appear to be the case at all, that likely won’t stop the cries for another chapter in the Cena vs. Edge feud to take place on December 13.
With both Cena and Copeland paying homage to each other inside the ring in recent months, it’s evident that they, like the fans, hold their 2000s feud in high esteem; so at least we got those nods.
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1. JBL
It may be an outside the box choice, but seeing JBL – the man John Cena defeated to win his first of 17 world championships – enter the ‘Last Time is Now’ Tournament would make for an awesome moment.
JBL has been retired from in-ring competition since 2009, which admittedly makes a return an incredibly tall task.
However, as he has proven with his many appearances outside of WWE in recent years, he’s certainly not afraid of dishing out a Clothesline or two.
While he likely wouldn’t make it to actually challenge Cena at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, JBL entering the tournament would serve as a great callback to Cena’s defining moment back in 2005.
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