Overview
- Raw confirmed opening-round pairings of Rusev vs. Damian Priest and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus, with Nakamura advancing and eliminating Sheamus from contention.
- The tournament is scheduled to begin on the November 10 Raw in Boston, where John Cena is slated to appear.
- Cena’s farewell bout is set for Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., with live streaming on Peacock in the U.S.
- Cena announced that the field can draw from Raw, SmackDown, NXT and even non-WWE entrants, keeping outside-entrant possibilities on the table.
- Industry chatter continues to link GUNTHER as a potential finalist without confirmation, while entrant Rusev publicly questioned whether Cena’s retirement will truly be permanent.