John Cena's Best, Worst and Most Likely Opponent for WWE Retirement Match

The clock is ticking down on the end of John Cena's career. He has just five scheduled dates left on his WWE career.

Per Fightful's Jeremy Lambert, his next confirmed appearance will be at Crown Jewel in Australia on October 11, though it's unclear whether he will wrestle at the event.

He will appear on the November 10 and 17 Raws ahead of Survivor Series: WarGames and then have his final match at Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13 in Washington, D.C.

None of those appearances matter more than his retirement match, though. This will be the last time Cena ever wrestles in a WWE ring.

It is a huge chance to deliver an unforgettable moment and elevate whoever steps into the ring with The GOAT.

WWE must consider the options closely to deliver a satisfying end to Cena's career.

The following are the best, worst and most likely opponents for his retirement match on December 13.

Honorable Mentions

The following are all names Cena could fight but just missed out in our selections.

Good: LA Knight

The Megastar would have been an inspired first-time opponent for Cena during his retirement tour, especially since they had teamed together before but never fought.

However, Knight is not in the right spot right now to feel like the man the veteran should close out his career fighting. Book it for one of Cena's final Raws instead.

Good: Jey Uso

Uso did get to chop it up with The GOAT in a tag team match at Money in the Bank as well as eliminating him in the men's Royal Rumble. He should have been an opponent during Cena's heel run.

Instead, The Unseen 17 has returned to his fan-favorite roots while Uso is struggling to find his identity with Roman Reigns in his ear. The timing no longer works for either man.

Bad: Ron Killings

While the R-Truth saga that led to the return of the beloved veteran was effective, Cena has moved beyond any need to work with him or his darker persona, Killings.

They fought twice, and nothing came of either contest. They should have one last interaction, likely at Saturday Night's Main Event before the retirement match.

Worst: Brock Lesnar (Again)

Of the eight singles matches between Cena and Brock Lesnar, The Beast Incarnate has won six, including their latest at Wrestlepalooza.

The booking of that contest might be setting up a rematch where The GOAT conquers Lesnar and walks out a victorious hero at the end of his career.

However, that serves no one. Cena would put no one over in his retirement tour beyond Cody Rhodes while Lesnar would lose the momentum he just regained.

This retirement match should focus on Cena giving back, whether he wins or loses. He must fight someone who can get something out of facing him.

Lesnar was already a disappointing opponent for the retirement tour. A rematch would be a disaster no matter the actual quality of the contest.

Best: Dominik Mysterio

Although Cena and Dominik Mysterio have not interacted during his retirement tour, it would not be difficult to book a match between them.

Dirty Dom holds the one championship in WWE Cena needs to complete the Grand Slam: the intercontinental title.

Even more importantly, the 28-year-old would benefit hugely from working Cena, even in a loss.

He is a young star on the rise, holding both the IC title and AAA Mega Championship. He has become one of WWE's most exciting young talents.

Mysterio is the present and future of the business. He is the type of star who should have been facing Cena during his retirement tour from the start.

The Unseen 17 even mentioned Dirty Dom as a potential opponent on air during his memorable promo takedown of Logan Paul on SmackDown.

Cena can walk out with the IC title, completing his promise of leaving as champion and give Dirty Dom a major spotlight match for his career highlights.

Worst: Cody Rhodes (3rd Time)

The first time Cena and Cody Rhodes fought during the former's retirement tour, it was a disaster.

The second time, it was a major success, righting the course for both men after wasting most of Cena's final run on a heel turn no one believed in.

A third time would be overkill. It serves no purpose other than to reinforce the only point of Cena's tour was to elevate Rhodes.

Even though they would live up to the moment, the end result would be unfulfilling.

The American Nightmare does not need to fight Cena again. He might be an interesting tag team partner to aid the outgoing Superstar, but that should not be Cena's last match.

With five appearances left, WWE should take the time to elevate other names while Rhodes finds fresh opponents for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Best: Bron Breakker

Bron Breakker is the least likely name for Cena's final opponent in WWE, but it would be the most rewarding option on the roster.

Whether they have a wild epic or a one-sided final battle where The Badass dominates, Breakker would get a huge rub from working with the veteran.

At this stage of his career, Breakker is mostly a tag team wrestler on the rise, but he has a massive future on the horizon.

He is one of the rare competitors who has genuinely endangered Roman Reigns in their clashes, putting him on the shelf after SummerSlam.

While it is more likely Seth Rollins would get the final shot over Breakker from The Vision, this could be an inspired option to end Cena's career with a definitive loss while putting over one of the next megastars.

Worst: Roman Reigns

Every top man is eventually replaced by the next one up, and Roman Reigns was chosen as the heir apparent to John Cena long before the latter's retirement tour was announced.

While The GOAT began to raise his stake in Hollywood, The OTC went through plenty of growing pains as the next man up.

Nothing was more painful for Reigns than his first collision on the mic with Cena, who roasted him in a now-infamous example of The GOAT calling out WWE's rising young stars.

Even a win over Cena in the match that followed did not help The OTC recover. Luckily, Reigns would rebound, especially after a long absence that set up his current run.

The two worked a second match together while The OTC was on top, built up by a better promo exchange between the two men.

The aftermath of that match saw Cena stepping away from WWE again in what felt like The GOAT finally passing the torch.

All of this is to say Cena and Reigns have done their time together. They are a volatile duo who rarely work well in the ring.

The GOAT has put over The OTC twice already, and Reigns is on his own Hollywood run now. He does not need the rub of fighting Cena again.

Best: Drew McIntyre

WWE continues to build a new foundation of talent at the top of the card, and no one feels more ready for a top heel role than Drew McIntyre.

His feud with CM Punk carried 2024, yet he has fallen into the background in 2025. He got a shot at Cody Rhodes recently, but it never felt like he was going to legitimately dethrone the WWE champion.

Cena has already focused on putting over one 40-year-old star in Cody Rhodes, but The Scottish Warrior needs the rub so much more.

No one would able to deny McIntyre if he was the man to retire Cena, defeating him in his final contest.

That is a money match with massive implications, setting the stage for McIntyre to reclaim the world title and become SmackDown's true top heel for 2026.

This is also a fresh matchup, which is a rarity during Cena's retirement tour. Despite crossing paths as early as 2010, these two have never had a one-on-one bout.

Most Likely: Seth Rollins

While it would be more exciting to see a younger or less-established star get the rub of Cena's final match, no one lines up more clearly to face him than Seth Rollins.

Rollins is Raw's top heel, and Cena will spend both of his last TV appearances with the red brand.

The GOAT has mostly fought repeat opponents in his final year, and he had several great matches with The Visionary.

Rollins would also further solidify himself as WWE's top heel by retiring Cena, especially if The Vision helped him cheap out the veteran at the end.

These two have the capability of dramatically ending his Cena's career with one last great match, and the story is obvious given their history.

No one else stands out as a more likely answer for Cena's retirement match.