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Fans didn’t like the hot take a WWE Hall of Famer gave regarding the upcoming 16-man John Cena tournament and how things should play out for one star involved. The WWE will officially begin the tournament on “Monday Night Raw” to determine the legendary superstar’s final opponent before he retires from the ring. Two of the 16-man tournament matches will occur on Raw, with another two coming to Friday’s SmackDown. On Raw, fans will see Rusev against Damian Priest and Sheamus versus Shinsuke Nakamura. The winners of these two matches move on to the next round of the tournament. Meanwhile, SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis announced two other matches for Friday, leaving some intrigue. Aldis announced that The Miz will battle Jey Uso, and the other match will feature LA Knight. However, Aldis didn’t say the name of Knight’s opponent, saying he’d save that for the following SmackDown. Read more: Former WWE Champ Calls Out SmackDown Star for ‘Dangerous Spots’ US wrestler John Cena greets the fans before his match against CM Punk for the undisputed WWE Championship during the King of the Ring event at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on June 28, 2025. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images) It left a big surprise for who Knight will face, and some fans already believe it’s TNA star Joe Hendry, who has been randomly appearing in various NXT segments backstage or, more recently, in the ring. Interestingly, WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry suggested on the “Busted Open Podcast” that Hendry needs to win every match in the tournament and become the man Cena faces in his final match. Additionally, Henry suggested that Hendry should be the one to retire Cena. While some WWE fans might appreciate the take and believe in Joe Hendry, others weren’t in favor of Henry’s suggestion for the 16-man tourney. Mark Henry believes Joe Hendry should beat everyone in John Cena’s “Last Time Is Now” tournament and be Cena’s final opponent to retire him, as Hendry is one of the hottest names in wrestling right now.(via Busted Open Radio) pic.twitter.com/aAY8Gwjy2N— EliteRockerz 𝕏 (@EliteClubS0B) November 8, 2025 “Mark Henry isn’t cooking with this one,” one fan wrote in an X reply. “Whenever Henry says anything, it is generally worth doing the complete opposite,” another fan commented. Another fan said on X, “‘Joe Hendry’ to end the greatest of all times career are we serious.” “It’s a battle to see who is the dumbest ex wrestler on busted open. Mark, Bully, or Tommy,” a fan suggested on X. “Mark Henry has the absolute worst takes I’ve ever heard. Each time he has an idea, it’s horrible,” another fan commented. Based on Aldis’s reluctance to say the name of LA Knight’s opponent on Friday’s SmackDown, it seems Hendry is a strong pick to appear when Aldis finally says his name. That said, it would be a significant surprise if WWE books Hendry to run through the tournament and get a potential career-defining match against Cena before the legend retires. WWE Star Makes Surprise SmackDown Appearance to Form New Team WWE SmackDown Reveals More John Cena Tournament Matches Jade Cargill Sends Strong Warning Before WWE SmackDown For more about professional wrestling, visit Newsweek Sports.
