John Cena set to wrestle on WWE SmackDown for the first time in nearly three years

John Cena will wrestle on SmackDown for the first time since 2022.John Cena's farewell tour has been an exciting program to witness on WWE television programming. The Cenation Leader has wrestled some marquee matches against the likes of Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.

However, all those matches took place on major Premium Live Events.

For the first time in nearly three years, The Unseen 17 will have his first battle on the blue brand next week.

Who will John Cena face on WWE SmackDown next week?

On the June 19th edition of Friday Night SmackDown, John Cena opened the show. He gloated about all his plans coming to fruition for his farewell tour. As he was basking in his own glory, Cena found himself in the ring with Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, and the returning Randy Orton.

The Last Real Champion chose to leave the ring, but R-Truth launched an attack on him at the entrance ramp. It was similar to what he did back at the 2025 WWE Money in the Bank PLE when Truth came back following his release.Cena was furious and wanted to get his hands on the newly repackaged Ron Killings. The 17-time World Champion marched back to the ring to call him out. However, it was CM Punk who came out to confront him ahead of their match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the Night of Champions PLE.

After The Best in the World berated him with heated words, he left the ring only for R-Truth to once again emerge and attack Cena.

As Truth had Cena locked in his own submission move, STF, CM Punk left the sight, saying, "I'm sorry, but the truth hurts." Following that, the former WWE 24/7 champion demanded a match against John Cena, which was made official for next week's show. This will mark his first match on the blue brand since December 2022.

He had teamed up with Kevin Owens to compete against Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns. The duo emerged victorious, and that was Cena's only match that year. With the 17-time WWE Champion returning to SmackDown next week to compete in the ring, it will be heated tensions exploding in a huge showdown.Also read: WWE SmackDown Results & Highlights (6/13/25): Cody Rhodes wins high-stakes main event, major stars appear and more