On Monday Night Raw, Solo Sikoa, Gunther, LA Knight, and Jey Uso, all competed to be John Cena’s final opponent in the Last Time is Now tournament. The semifinals were strongly battled but in the end, it was Knight and Gunther who emerged, setting up an explosive final round that is fit for a PLE.
John Cena’s Final Opponent: Gunther vs LA Knight Headlines 12/5 SmackDown
Due to a proliferation of spoilers and rumors that permeate the Internet Wrestling Community these days, Gunther advancing to the finals of the Last Time is Now tournament feels like a foregone conclusion we’ve known for months. Gunther has been rumored to have been internally chosen as John Cena’s final opponent for a while now. In many ways, it makes sense. Gunther and Cena have never wrestled in the same ring, either as opponents or teammates. It gives Cena a first time battle on his way out and gives Gunther the kind of rub that he needs more than people may think. Gunther is a bonafide star who has that ‘it’ factor quality to everything he does, but a win over Cena provides an invaluable launching pad.
Couple that with Gunther’s retirement of Goldberg and the Ring General starts to build for himself a nice resume. Gunther’s Retirement Home for Former WWE Wrestlers has a legend killer vibe to it and it’s a gimmick Gunther can maximize over both new and old talent alike. After all, Gunther showed that side of him in his first two LTIN matchups as he took on NXT’s Je’Von Evans and Carmelo Hayes, neither of whom he believed worthy to be in the ring with him. Should Gunther retire Cena, that claim only carries more weight as if a legend like Cena isn’t worthy to share Gunther’s ring, then what chance does the rest of the roster have?
That includes guys like LA Knight and because WWE is known to pull a massive swerve now and again, we can’t discount the possibility he could be in line for Cena’s final bow. Knight and Cena have also never had a singles match, though they did team in a high profile tag match at Fastlane in 2023 against the Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. Knight being the one to retire Cena would offer a different narrative. Like Gunther, Knight took the longer road to WWE, plying his craft on the indies. The 43-year-old megastar worked his way to this moment and in a lot of ways, it would be the ultimate reward if he had the chance to retire Cena. Sure, Knight isn’t exactly a spring chicken but neither is Gunther. Whoever wins on Friday won’t be a young upstart, it will be a veteran who worked hard and earned their way to WWE. In a way, that feels like the perfect way for Cena to bow out as his final match offers a powerful star making moment for whoever is on the other end of it.
Either way though, Friday will be must-see as Gunther vs Uso wrestle their first televised match since 2022’s NXT Stand and Deliver. And then comes a moment in time and a meeting with the greatest to ever do it.
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