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Final Four Entrants Of John Cena's Last Time Is Now Tournament Unveiled On WWE SmackDown

One of these 16 men will face John Cena in his final match at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event in December.
Rick Ucchino|
John Cena
John Cena | WWE

The field has officially been set for The 'Last Time is Now' Tournament as opening round matches continued Friday night.

John Cena will close out his Hall of Fame career at Saturday Night's Main Event, coming up on December 13 in Washington, D.C., with the winner of the 16-man tournament earning the opportunity to face the reigning Intercontinental Champion in his final match.

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis drew the names of the final entrants at random Friday night, with Carmelo Hayes, Big Bronson Reed, Penta and Finn Balor receiving the honor of being allowed into the competition.

Those four men will face each other next week on SmackDown, while two others have already punched their tickets to the tournament quarterfinals.

It was Jey Uso who officially squashed The Miz's dream of getting one more shot at his longtime rival when the former World Heavyweight Champion bested the A-lister in the opening contest Friday night.

LA Knight was also able to advance despite having no idea who he was facing until they were introduced. His opponent turned out to be the Indy God Matt Cardona, who was once again wrestling as Zack Ryder.

It was Ryder's first match on the WWE main roster in over five and a half years. He last competed against Bobby Lashley on the March 9, 2020 edition of Monday Night Raw. Matt Cardona did defeat Josh Briggs on an episode of NXT just last month as a representative of TNA Wrestling

Ryder received a very nice reaction from the crowd in Albany. It's unclear if this was a one off appearance, or if more WWE bookings will be in Ryder/Cardona's future.

'Last Time Is Now' Tournament Opening Round Matches & Results:

Rusev
Rusev | WWE
  • Rusev defeated Damian Priest to advance to the Quarterfinals Monday night on Raw
  • Sheamus defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to advance to the Quarterfinals Monday night on Raw
  • Jey Uso defeated The Miz to advance to the Quarterfinals Friday night on SmackDown
  • LA Knight defeated Zack Ryder to advance to the Quarterfinals Friday night on SmackDown
  • Je'Von Evans vs. Gunther - Taking place on 11/17 Raw at Madison Square Garden in New York City
  • Solo Sikoa vs. Surprise Opponent - Taking place on 11/17 Raw at Madison Square Garden in New York City
  • Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed - Taking place on 11/21 SmackDown in Denver, Colorado
  • Finn Balor vs. Pena - Taking place on 11/21 SmackDown in Denver, Colorado

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Published | Modified
Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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