Following the shocking return of Brock Lesnar, there were rumors that it was done at the request of John Cena for his WWE farewell tour. However, the “never seen” 17-time world champion seemingly responded to those rumors.
Cena was approached by Adam's Apple on the set of his latest movie. When asked about Lesnar's return, Cena said he plays the hands he is dealt, not the other way around.
“I've been saying the same thing for 25 years — they deal 'em, I play 'em,” explained Cena. “I'm just really excited. We've got like 12 of these things left; I think SummerSlam was an indication from the audience where everybody kind of knows where we're closing our book.”
He knows that the wheels on WWE do not stop with him. “Just because I close my book in December doesn't mean the WWE closes its books. They [have] got to continue their programming going forward,” Cena said. “So, they're just trying to make the most exciting shows for the fans. A dozen of them I [have] got left. They deal 'em, I play 'em.”
So, it sounds like Cena did not request Lesnar's return. Paul “Triple H” Levesque spoke during the SummerSlam post-show, seemingly indicating that they are working around Cena's “wishlist” for his final run.
“This is John Cena's wishlist — it's him writing the last chapter of his book,” revealed Triple H. While he did not name-drop Lesnar, he did say he asked Cena, “Who do you want? And how?”
Will John Cena and Brock Lesnar feud after his WWE return?
All signs point to one final showdown between Cena and Lesnar. As Cena revealed, he has about 12 appearances left in his WWE career as an in-ring performer.
The next feud appears to be with Lesnar. After a two-year hiatus, Lesnar made his return to WWE at the end of SummerSlam following Cena's loss to Cody Rhodes. Lesnar hit Cena with an F5 before storming out of the ring.
The “Beast Incarnate” had been on a hiatus from WWE due to Lesnar being linked to Janel Grant's lawsuit against Vince McMahon. He was officially named in a revised complaint filed in February 2025.
However, WWE legal cleared Lesnar to return about a month before SummerSlam. So, the “Beast Incarnate” appears to be in the clear to be back in the squared circle for now.
