Predicting Surprise Entrants in John Cena's 'Last Time Is Now' WWE Tournament Bracket

With four appearances left, John Cena's farewell tour is quickly coming to an end, but fans are still speculating about who his final WWE opponent will be.

On Monday, the 17-time world champion is set to appear at TD Garden in Boston, 45 minutes from his hometown of West Newbury, for the next episode of Raw. The flagship series will also kick off the "Last Time Is Now" tournament with two first-round matches.

During Saturday Night's Main Event, WWE announced the 16-man tournament to determine who Cena will face when he ends his legendary career on Dec. 13 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. However, the company has not yet unveiled an official bracket for the event.

Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer believes WWE didn't reveal the full bracket on the latest edition of Raw to keep its surprise entrants under wraps. This would certainly line up with the format that will feature wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, as well as some "who don't even work here."

The first two matches, Sheamus vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev vs. Damian Priest, are enough to entice fans and create anticipation for more announcements. But which storied rivals and new faces could enter the fray in hopes of being a part of history?

Although Cena recently paid tribute to Edge, The Rated-R Superstar is reportedly under contract with All Elite Wrestling until 2026. That would mean one more match with his infamous rival is out of the question. Similarly, Chris Jericho's contract is set to expire at the end of the year, so we don't expect to see him.

Nevertheless, there are still some interesting possibilities for the upcoming weeks. These are our predictions for the surprise entrants in Cena's "Last Time Is Now" Tournament.

Joe Hendry

Say his name and he appears. Joe Hendry is a no-brainer for this tournament because Cena is his dream opponent.

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The breakout star from TNA has already made an appearance in the men's Royal Rumble match and at WrestleMania 41. Still, he has been trying to manifest a contest with "the first wrestler he ever spoke to" since last year.

During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Hendry explained it would be a "full-circle moment" for a longtime fan, who spoke to him over the phone at a meet and greet when he was 15 years old. As such, he has been driven to earn an opportunity to wrestle his idol before he retires.

This is his last chance to make his dream a reality. WWE should capitalize on this story with a video package or promo because it perfectly demonstrates Cena's impact on fans worldwide.

El Hijo del Vikingo

El Hijo del Vikingo has appeared on Raw a few times since WWE partnered with AAA in April, and he would be a nice addition to this bracket.

The former AAA Mega champion turned heel after he dropped the title to Dominik Mysterio at Worlds Collide: Las Vegas. This would make the 28-year-old a great opponent for another luchador such as Penta.

Now that the WWE audience is familiar with Vikingo, this could allow him to compete in a high-profile tournament on Netflix or cable television. It's a huge opportunity to introduce his new character on a bigger stage and help him grow into the role with new adversaries.

Matt Cardona

Matt Cardona is one of the wrestlers Cena mentioned when he mocked CM Punk's pipe bomb promo during the June 20 episode of SmackDown.

"The King of the Indies" wasted no time and responded to the shoutout two days later during a GCW show.

WWE released Cardona, who most fans will remember as Zack Ryder, in 2020. However, he has remained relevant due to his work with AEW, ROH, TNA, GCW, and many indie promotions.

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Last month, he technically returned to WWE to take part in the TNA invasion on NXT in a losing effort to Josh Briggs. Given his history with Cena, the 40-year-old would make the most sense as a surprise entrant in the "Last Time Is Now" tournament.

Cardona might not be the shocking reveal some fans are hoping for, but his inclusion would be a great moment for longtime viewers.

More importantly, this is his chance for revenge after Cena stole Eve Torres from him in 2012, before Kane famously threw him off the stage.