WWE Rumors on John Cena's Schedule, Brock Lesnar's Contract, AJ Lee Return Talks

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

John Cena's Final Dates Revealed

With just eight dates remaining on his retirement tour, John Cena's WWE schedule for the remainder of the year is close to being finalized.

WWE announced on Friday that Cena's last appearances in Boston and New York will be on the Nov. 10 and 17 episodes of Monday Night Raw.

Cena's next seven appearances are now officially locked in, starting with Friday's episode of SmackDown from Chicago:

• Sept. 5: Friday Night SmackDown (Chicago, Illinois)
• Sept. 15: Monday Night Raw (Springfield, Massachusetts)
• Sept. 20: Wrestlepalooza (Indianapolis, Indiana)
• Oct. 11: Crown Jewel: Perth (Perth, Australia)
• Nov. 10: Monday Night Raw (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Nov. 17: Monday Night Raw (New York City)
• Nov. 29: Survivor Series (San Diego, California)
• Dec. 13: Saturday Night's Main Event (Location TBD)

Per WrestleVotes, Cena's final match on the Dec. 13 Saturday Night's Main Event is expected to be held at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., but WWE hasn't officially announced the location yet.

The most notable thing about WWE's official schedule announcement on Friday is that Cena's final appearance won't be in his hometown of Boston.

There were rumblings earlier this year that Beantown would host his last match, but WWE was also rumored to be seeking a $1.5 million financial commitment from any city for the event.

While it remains to be seen who Cena's final opponent will be, it seems likely the match with Brock Lesnar could be made official as early as tonight on SmackDown.

Per Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Lesnar is scheduled to be in Chicago this week.

It has been assumed since Lesnar returned at SummerSlam and laid out Cena with an F-5 to end the show that the two would square off at Wrestlepalooza on Sept. 20.

Fans could get a definitive answer to that situation on Friday night.

Brock Lesnar Recently Signed New WWE Contract

Prior to his surprise return at SummerSlam, Lesnar was actually a free agent for a period of time.

Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Lesnar had to sign a new contract with WWE because he had been "a free agent for months" until a deal got done.

Meltzer noted that Lesnar had been getting paid on his previous contract for some time despite not being used on television, but that deal ran out in the two years from his last appearance at SummerSlam 2023.

It was reported in January 2024 that Lesnar was originally scheduled to be in the Royal Rumble, but lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant against Vince McMahon for alleged sex trafficking resulted in him being pulled from the show.

Grant alleged in the lawsuit that McMahon offered her for sex to an unnamed WWE superstar who the company was trying to re-sign in 2021. It was believed at the time the superstar was Lesnar, and it was confirmed in February when he was named in an amended lawsuit filed by Grant.

Lesnar, who is not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, last wrestled a match at SummerSlam 2023 when he lost to Cody Rhodes.

WWE Made "Big" Push for AJ Lee's Return

Ahead of the expected return for AJ Lee to WWE for the first time since her retirement in 2015, the company has been trying to get her back since her husband made his shocking return at Survivor Series 2023.

Per WrestleVotes Radio (h/t Mukherjee), WWE previously made overtures to AJ following CM Punk's return to WWE almost two years ago, but the company's push picked up in a "big way" recently as a way to build "significant buzz" for Wrestlepalooza.

The Sept. 20 show is a big one for WWE because it marks the first premium live event that will air on ESPN after the two sides agreed to a five-year, $1.63 billion rights deal last month.

After Becky Lynch cost CM Punk the world heavyweight title in the fatal-four-way match at Clash in Paris by interfering to aid her husband, Seth Rollins, there have been strong teases that Punk will get AJ to come in and provide backup for an expected mixed tag match at Wrestlepalooza.

AJ's name was brought up on the Clash in Paris post-show. When fans chanted her name on the follow-up episode of Raw on Monday, Lynch acknowledged it during her promo segment with Punk.

It's been rumored that Lee will be part of Friday's SmackDown in Chicago, either with her actual return or a strong tease before her official comeback. If she doesn't appear on Friday night, it would seem likely to happen on Monday's Raw so WWE can make the match official and jumpstart the build for Wrestlepalooza.

Sapp has also reported that Lee's return could be more than a one-off. This could be an indication of a potential singles match with Lynch at some point.

Lee hasn't appeared on WWE television since the Raw after WrestleMania 31 on March 30, 2015. She officially announced her retirement five days later.

During her original WWE run from 2010 to '15, AJ became one of the most popular stars on the roster. She won the divas championship three times.