John Cena Reacts to Brock Lesnar's WWE SummerSlam Return, 'They Deal 'Em, I Play 'Em'

WWE legend John Cena indicated Tuesday that it was not his call for Brock Lesnar to return and attack him at SummerSlam on Sunday night.

Appearing on the Adam's Apple YouTube channel (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Cena commented on the events of SummerSlam and the remainder of his retirement tour:

"Well, I've been saying the same thing for 25 years. They deal 'em, I play 'em. I'm just really excited. We got like 12 of these things left.

"I think SummerSlam was an indication from the audience where everybody kind of knows we're closing our book. And just because I close my book in December, that doesn't mean the WWE closes its books. They got to continue their programming going forward. So, they're just trying to make the most exciting show for the fans, man. I got a dozen of them left. They deal 'em, I play 'em."

Just two days before he put the WWE Championship on the line against Cody Rhodes on Night 2 of SummerSlam, Cena cut a surprising promo on SmackDown in which he essentially abandoned his five-month heel run and turned face.

As a result, he was cheered throughout his street fight against Cody, which ended with Rhodes winning back the WWE Championship he had lost to Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 41.

Cena received an ovation from the crowd afterward, and while he was soaking it in, Lesnar made a surprise return to WWE programming, two years after his last match at SummerSlam 2023.

The Beast Incarnate laid Cena out with an F-5, seemingly setting the stage for a final match between the longtime rivals.

Lesnar's return was controversial among fans since he was named multiple times in a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant against WWE and former WWE chairman Vince McMahon in January 2024.

While Lesnar is not a defendant in the lawsuit, Grant alleged that McMahon offered sexual services from her to Lesnar as part of contract negotiations in 2021.

Grant said that while a planned sexual encounter between her and Lesnar did not come to fruition, she created "personalized sexual content" for Lesnar at McMahon's behest.

During the post-show press conference after SummerSlam (h/t Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats), WWE head of creative Triple H seemed to suggest that Lesnar's return may have had something to do with Cena requesting to work with him during his final year as an in-ring competitor:

“For me, this is sort of … this is John Cena's wishlist. ... It's him writing the last chapter of his book, and I think people saw a conversation with us where he said we'd have to screw it up pretty badly to ruin his career.

"But it's not about that for me. It's about John being able to go out the way he wants to go out, to write his chapter. I know what that's like as a performer. I know what that's like for everybody to feel that, and I think for John to be able to do what he wants to do. ... One of the very first things I said to him was, 'Who do you want, and how?' And we're working through that."

Lesnar is undoubtedly one of Cena's greatest rivals, as they have faced each other six times in singles matches in WWE, and once in a Triple Threat that also included Seth Rollins.

Brock's first match after returning to WWE in 2012 was a loss to Cena at Extreme Rules, and the most shocking match of Cena's career was a one-sided loss to Lesnar at SummerSlam 2014.

They have told many stories together, and it would make sense for them to write one final chapter as Cena nears the stretch run of his farewell tour.

Public comments made by Cena and Triple H thus far seem to contradict each other to some degree in terms of whose idea it truly was to do Cena vs. Lesnar one last time, but it will be a headline-grabbing match when it does happen regardless of who pushed for it most.