WWE Purposely Teasing AEW Stars in John Cena’s “Last Time Is Now” Tournament

WWE is pulling every trick in the book to make John Cena’s retirement tour unforgettable — and that includes teasing names they almost certainly can’t deliver.

As part of the build-up to Cena’s final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 in Washington, D.C., WWE launched “The Last Time Is Now” tournament. The bracket will feature 16 superstars from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT — but the company isn’t stopping there.

During Cena’s video announcement at last weekend’s show, he threw out a comment suggesting that participants might not all be WWE-exclusive talent. That opened the floodgates of speculation, with fans immediately connecting the dots to AEW names like Adam Copeland and Chris Jericho — both of whom share deep-rooted rivalries with Cena.

According to Wrestling Observer Radio confirm that WWE is purposely teasing AEW stars to get people talking. According to Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez, WWE has no real expectation of landing those appearances — especially since Copeland and Jericho are still locked into AEW contracts. But the mere suggestion is enough to ignite nostalgia among longtime fans and create a social media storm in the process.

This is the latest strategic move from WWE’s creative team to drum up interest in Cena’s swan song, which already includes a rumored Intercontinental Title match against Dominik Mysterio and the possibility of passing the torch to someone like GUNTHER. Behind the scenes, there’s been chatter about the final match being a huge moment — one that balances Cena’s legacy with WWE’s current storytelling needs.

Even if AEW stars don’t show up, the tease is working. Cena’s farewell tour is now at the center of fantasy booking speculation, and that’s exactly the kind of momentum WWE wants going into its year-end programming.

What do you think WWE’s endgame is with these AEW teases? Who should really face Cena in his final match? Drop your thoughts in the comments — we want to hear it all.