On Friday night SmackDown, Penta defeated Finn Balor and Carmelo Hayes defeated Bronson Reed after some chicanery from the Vision and their War Games opponents. That means the first round of the Last Time is Now Tournament is officially in the books. With that, finally comes a tournament bracket, outlining the path the remaining eight wrestlers will need to follow in order to achieve the ultimate goal of being John Cena’s final opponent in WWE history.
Last Time is Now Tournament Bracket Revealed with Another Mystery Opponent
The Last Time is Now Tournament continues…
Who will face @RealLAKnight NEXT WEEK?! 👀 pic.twitter.com/UyeYgr2nhC
— WWE (@WWE) November 22, 2025
LA Knight started the tournament off against a mystery opponent, who turned out to be Zack Ryder/Matt Cardona. Due to an ill-timed injury to Sheamus, Knight will see another mystery opponent in his second round match, set for SmackDown on Friday, November 28. That side of the Last Time is Now bracket also includes Jey Uso taking on Rusev. Those two wrestled their first and only ever singles match earlier this year during the Tokyo Supershow. They have never wrestled a singles match on TV, though they have been in the ring together for various tag team and multi-man matches.
The other side of the Last Time is Now bracket, the matches of which are set for Raw on Monday, November 24, sees Solo Sikoa taking on Penta in their first-ever singles match. The only other time the two shared a ring was this summer for Money in the Bank. Rounding out the bracket is Gunther taking on Carmelo Hayes in another first-time match up. The two previously shared the ring during January’s Royal Rumble.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on John Cena final match, the Last Time is Now tournament bracket, and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
You can check out WWE programming on Netflix (Raw), USA Network (SmackDown), The CW (NXT), Tubi (WWE Evolve), A&E (WWE Superstar Sunday – Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and Peacock (WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on YouTube, and catch fast-paced action on X (WWE Speed).
