Judgment Day member to cost former world champion his chance to face John Cena? Exploring the possibility

In the wake of John Cena's 16-man Last Time is Now Tournament, Rusev is scheduled to face Damian Priest in the first round on the upcoming episode of WWE RAW. Also, Shinsuke Nakamura will take on Sheamus that same night. The matchup was confirmed through a video message from Adam Pearce on this week's flagship show.

At Saturday Night's Main Event XLI, Cena appeared in a video package and announced a 16-man tournament to determine his final opponent in December. Cena revealed that he wants someone to step up and take advantage of the same opportunity that he had when he debuted.

While Damian Priest will look to defeat Rusev and advance to the next round, The Judgment Day might be cooking up something against him. In a shocking twist, Finn Balor could interfere in the contest and cost the former World Heavyweight Champion his chance to face John Cena in December.

Damian Priest has a storied history with The Prince in the Stamford-based promotion. The 43-year-old was once part of The Judgment Day before being backstabbed by Finn Balor at SummerSlam 2024. Balor interfered during Priest's world title match against Gunther, enabling The Ring General to win the gold.

Things didn't stop there, as the former World Heavyweight Champion entered an intense rivalry with The Judgment Day after being kicked out of the stable. They finally settled their differences this year after Damian Priest defeated Finn Balor in a Street Fight on the January 13 episode of RAW, despite interference from The Prince's stablemates.

Having concluded his storyline with Aleister Black on SmackDown, the creative team might now consider moving Priest to the red brand to rekindle his feud with The Judgment Day. If this happens, one of the most fitting ways to do so could be The Prince costing his former tag team partner the chance to face John Cena in his retirement match.

The 43-year-old might then challenge Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship and possibly beat him for the title. As of now, this angle is speculative, and fans will have to wait and see the turn of events on the upcoming episode of RAW.

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John Cena sends a message to several stars before his retirement

John Cena is at the tail end of his retirement tour, and he is set to hang up his wrestling boots in December. Last week, The Franchise Player sent a message to those at the Performance Center.

He appreciated several up-and-coming stars and shared his notes and lessons with them.

"Being coachable can open our minds to learn. Thank you to all the superstars at the WWE PC for sharing with me different perspectives of our business. I spent the week digesting their feedback & was grateful to be able to return today for another chance to learn & share wisdom," Cena wrote on X.

That said, viewers are eager to witness who faces Cena in his retirement match.

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Edited by Pratik Singh