Brock Lesnar has issued a final, blistering warning to John Cena ahead of their match tonight at the inaugural Wrestlepalooza, declaring his intention to end the 16-time world champion’s career. Cena, in turn, has responded with a more measured but equally determined resolve.
The high-stakes match, the first between the two in over a decade, is confirmed to open the premium live event on ESPN. However, this may not have been the company’s original plan. A report from Fightful Select reveals the blockbuster bout was initially slated to main event the show before a creative decision changed the running order. The match also marks Lesnar’s return to the ring after an absence of more than two years.
In comments released by WWE, a dismissive Lesnar unleashed a verbal tirade against his opponent’s legacy.
“You want me to sit here and f—king put John Cena over for 25 years and talk about how great he is? I’m not your guy,” Lesnar stated. “If Brock Lesnar would have stayed in WWE, you would not know the name John Cena today… Is John Cena really the greatest of all time? Why should I believe that? Why would anybody believe that? In your yellow f—king calf s—t stained f—king t-shirts and whatever you wanna wear out there – I ain’t buying it.”
Lesnar concluded with a direct threat: “If John Cena wants his retirement with an exclamation point on it, I’m gonna retire John Cena. I’m gonna retire John Cena. However I wanna do it. And that’s exactly what’s gonna happen at Wrestlepalooza.” (h/t WrestleTalk)
Cena, who has just five appearances remaining on his retirement tour after tonight, offered a different perspective on their shared history.
“He is what we do. He was the first choice, and rightfully so. It was his table. He just decided not to sit at it,” Cena said, referencing Lesnar’s original WWE run. “I’m not gonna stare at the camera and the lens and tell you I’m gonna kick his ass. No. I’m going to tell you this is gonna be hard… I believe Brock Lesnar when he says he wants to end the tour early. I’ll do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen.” (h/t WrestleTalk.com)
While the clash between the two legends will kick off the night, the premium live event will close with Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre. That title match was finalized on last night’s SmackDown during a chaotic contract signing that saw McIntyre level Rhodes with a headbutt, sparking a massive brawl that ended with the champion laid out by a Claymore Kick.