Sheamus, Rusev, Damian Priest, and Shinsuke Nakamura will compete on Monday Night RAW tonight in the opening round of the Last Time Is Now Tournament, with the winner ultimately earning the right to face John Cena in his final match.
WWE shared videos on social media featuring all four competitors reflecting on what the opportunity means to them. On tonight's show, Rusev is set to battle Damian Priest, while Sheamus goes one-on-one with Shinsuke Nakamura.
In addition, SmackDown will feature The Miz vs. Jey Uso and LA Knight taking on a yet-to-be-announced opponent.
The winner of the tournament will meet John Cena at Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13th in Washington, D.C. The event will stream live on Peacock from the Capital One Arena.
You can check out the reactions below:
Sheamus:
"I think it'd be special. Obviously I made my name off John back in 2009. And I think I could end Cena's career like he launched mine: with the banger of all bangers."
Rusev:
"That man gave the biggest loss in my career. Not just my professional wrestling career, but my life career in general. My life was ruined because that man beat me at WrestleMania when I had that tank, my wife and the whole world on top of me. And then I lost.
"So what would it mean? It would anything. I would mean that I would get my life back, my pride back, and everything that he took from me! I will get it back! So Cena, I am coming for you!"
Damian Priest:
"For me personally, it would mean the world. It's a career-defining moment, you know? You remember is first, right? When he came out with the Kurt Angle thing? How could you not remember his last? So there's a reason why there's a tournament for that privilege.
"There's a reason why the company itself calls him the greatest of all-time while he's still doing it. That's reserved for when you retire. So the fact that the company believes in him so much can tell you how much this should mean to all of us. Because this is our WrestleMania, that's our moment. So for anybody that gets that honor, it's gonna be a huge deal."
Shinsuke Nakamura:
"It will be [a] super honor. So some of our generation decided to step away from the ring. No one can escape from the flow of time. But if his path and mine should cross once again, I believe it will be a gift. Gift, yeah, destiny."
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