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45-Year-Old WWE Star Addresses One Final Clash With John Cena

By Monika Thapa • Published Nov 11, 2025 11:30 EST
John Cena

John Cena is set to retire in December this year, with his final match scheduled for December 13 at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C..

To determine his last opponent, WWE launched a 16-man tournament called the “Last Time Is Now” tournament, which began on the November 10 episode of Monday Night RAW this week.

The Franchise Player began his farewell tour at the beginning of this year and faced multiple superstars over the course of the past year. Not every star in the locker room got a chance to step inside the squared circle with one of the greats this business has ever witnessed, but those who did get the opportunity are glad and thankful.

Some stars are still hopeful they’d get a shot against John Cena if they win the ‘Last Time Is Now’ tournament, and one such star was Shinsuke Nakamura. The 45-year-old star was one of the competitors in the tournament, facing Sheamus in the first round.

Shinsuke Nakamura Wanted To Face John Cena One Last Time

Ahead of his clash against The Celtic Warrior on RAW this week, the Japanese star expressed his desire to have one final clash with The Never Seen 17 before he retires in a video clip that WWE released on social media. Nakamura said he’d consider a match against John Cena a gift if he gets it.

“Some of our generation decided to step away from the ring. No one can escape from the flow of time. But if his path and mine should cross again, I believe it would be a gift. A gift,” said Nakamura.

Unfortunately for Nakamura, his wish will not be fulfilled as Sheamus beat him in the first round of the tournament on RAW. The other tournament match on RAW this week saw Rusev and Damian Priest battle, with The Bulgarian Brute coming out on top after delivering a Machka Kick to Priest’s head for the pinfall victory.

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