WWE Telegraphs John Cena's Final Opponent, AJ Lee Dream Matches and More Reaction
As John Cena's time as an active competitor for WWE gradually comes to a close, speculation is running rampant as to who will share the squared circle with him for his final match.
The 48-year-old is fresh off a memorable meeting with Sami Zayn on SmackDown and will have his hands full with longtime rival Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza.
With his remaining dates now confirmed by WWE, there's one person in particular from the Raw roster who would make the most sense to face Cena in his sendoff on December 13.
Along with Cena, AJ Lee will play a pivotal role in making WWE TV more exciting in the coming months following her highly-anticipated return on Friday's SmackDown.
Her on-screen reunion with husband CM Punk and brawl with Becky Lynch paves the way for a massive mixed tag team match at Wrestlepalooza on Sept. 20, but what she'll have in store from there has the potential to be even better.
It's been over a decade since Lee was last full-time with WWE, and although the landscape of the women's division has drastically changed since then, the possibilities of what she can do—and the women she can work with—are numerous.
From AJ Lee dream matches to The Usos reuniting on Raw, these are the top takeaways from the week that was in wrestling.
John Cena's Remaining Dates Heavily Hint at Who Final Opponent Will Be
1 of 5Back-to-back banger matches in August kicked off the final stretch of John Cena's retirement tour on a high note. And coming off his excellent outing against Sami Zayn on Friday's SmackDown, fans have every reason to believe he'll continue going all-out for his remaining contests.
With Friday's SmackDown marking his last-ever appearance on the blue brand, WWE has announced that his final non-premium live event dates will be on the Nov. 10 and Nov. 17 editions of Raw in Boston and New York City, respectively.
Unless a Superstar from SmackDown appears on Raw to build toward whatever matches he's involved in at Survivor Series and Saturday Night's Main Event, all signs point to his last opponent being a member of Raw, with Gunther being the leading candidate.
The Ring General has been missing in action since losing the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam and has no obvious storyline once he's ready to return.
Working with Cena would keep him in a prominent spot on the show and allow him to be the one to end the future WWE Hall of Famer's in-ring run.
WWE should look to make the most of the time Cena has left by having him compete for every appearance he's advertised for through the close of 2025.
A match with Gunther wouldn't need to be built up outside of a confrontation or two, and it would set the stage for what should be a monumental occasion before Cena calls it a career.
AEW Moving PPV Start Time Sets Bad Precedent with WWE Going Forward
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If there was such thing as a wrestling "war" on Saturday, Sept. 20, AEW basically conceded by shifting the start time for its All Out event to earlier in the day so it wouldn't air opposite WWE Wrestlepalooza on the new ESPN streaming service.
Above all else, it was a move made by AEW president Tony Khan out of convenience for the fans, which is admirable. However, with the company's core audience largely being loyal, airing against Wrestlepalooza wouldn't have had an adverse effect on its own event's success, especially since it was set for Sept. 20 long before WWE announced its PLE for that same night.
In reality, AEW refusing to fight back sets a poor precedent for future instances, and per Wrestling Observer Live (h/t F4WOnline.com), WWE has no intention of letting up its "counter-programming" efforts anytime soon.
It's pure pettiness on WWE's part to sabotage AEW when virtually nothing can be gained from it, but the newer promotion standing its ground on days when it already has shows scheduled will at least send the message it refuses to be pushed around and isn't an inferior product.
For WWE, it's all about dominating the headlines and ensuring its events are what fans will be buzzing about when the weekend's over, but AEW can combat that by producing stronger shows.
All Out is guaranteed to deliver from an in-ring standpoint but is bound to pale in comparison to Wrestlepalooza in terms of feeling like a special show, and that's where WWE has its rival beat this time around.
Usos' Mutually-Beneficial Reunion Will Elevate Directionless Raw Tag Team Scene
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WWE took a chance on Jey Uso as a single star this past year and it paid off exceptionally well.
His reigns as intercontinental and world heavyweight champion were exactly what they needed to be, and his Royal Rumble triumph proved he could win when it mattered most.
Having accomplished all he can do on his own for the time being, a return to the tag team ranks was necessary, specifically alongside brother Jimmy on Raw.
Jimmy saving Jey from an attack led by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed indicated the two teams will collide come Wrestlepalooza and The Usos are back together for more than just that one bout.
It's been over two years since The Usos have had a real run in the tag team division with their historic reign as undisputed WWE tag team champions ending at WrestleMania 39.
From LWO to The Creed Brothers, there's plenty of new blood for them to mix it up with as well as a few familiar faces in The Judgment Day and, of course, The New Day.
It shouldn't be long before they're holding gold again, though there is a story worth telling with them chasing current champs Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh for a while before the big moment.
Raw's directionless tag team scene will benefit greatly from having the Usos back, and the brothers themselves will feel fresh again on the heels of their respective singles pushes.
Returning to Commentary Is Logical Next Career Move for Bryan Danielson
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When Bryan Danielson made it clear at the end of 2023 that he didn't have long left in the ring, he vowed to leave on the highest note possible, and the year he went on to have in AEW was almost unmatched.
He was written off AEW TV when he lost the AEW World Championship to Jon Moxley at WrestleDream 2024, only to resurface at All In and aid Adam Page in defeating Moxley for the prestigious prize.
Danielson has since popped up on commentary a handful of times and is now an official member of the Dynamite announce team as of this coming Wednesday, per Tony Khan.
The American Dragon showed serious promise alongside Mauro Ranallo when they called WWE's one and only Cruiserweight Classic in the summer of 2016, where Danielson's vast knowledge and passion for pro wrestling shined through.
If he can bring that energy to the announcers' desk on Dynamite every week, the show will be better off because of it. It will eventually serve as a simple way to get him back in the ring for a one-off once he's cleared to compete and there's an opponent worthy of him coming out of retirement for.
AJ Lee's Return Provides WWE Women's Division with What It's Been Lacking
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A full-time AJ Lee has the potential to seriously shake up an already-stacked WWE women's division.
The three-time Divas champion retired from the ring and departed WWE before NXT's Four Horsewomen made it to the main roster, depriving fans of many dream matches.
If Lee is around for the long haul this time around, a vast majority of those contests are now possible.
The current Raw and SmackDown women's divisions hardly suffer from a lack of talent. Rather, there's a lack of overarching storylines and interesting characters, and Lee was one of the most compelling performers of her era.
Slotting her into the ongoing rivalry between CM Punk and Seth Rollins was the best possible fit from the get-go, but beyond that, there's any number of directions WWE can take her in that would beneficial to the rest of the Raw women's scene.
A feud with Becky Lynch over the Women's Intercontinental Championship would be logical, ideally culminating in Lee taking the title and working with the top talent the red brand has to offer.
Rivalries with Lynch, Roxanne Perez and Bayley could keep her busy through the next year at least, not only producing quality matches but also engaging storylines that give the women's division the extra spark that's been missing since Liv Morgan was sidelined over the summer.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
