Tonight on WWE Monday Night Raw the fifth and sixth first-round matches in The Last Time is Now Tournament took place, one of which including a surprise participant who isn't even on the roster at the moment.
For those unaware, this tournament is happening to determine who will face John Cena in his final match, scheduled for WWE Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13, 2025. So far, Rusev defeated Damian Priest, Sheamus defeated Shinsuke Nakamura, Jey Uso defeated The Miz, and LA Knight defeated the other non-WWE Superstar in the mix, Zack Ryder (TNA's Matt Cardona on loan).
Tonight, Solo Sikoa was first up, and his opponent turned out to be another star from TNA Wrestling, Nic Nemeth, who returned to his Dolph Ziggler moniker and entrance music for a big pop inside Madison Square Garden. However, he also had a losing effort, falling to a Samoan Spike.
Ziggler's last appearance in the ring for World Wrestling Entertainment was a double count-out draw against JD McDonagh on the May 29, 2023 episode of Raw. You'd have to go back to the April 10, 2023 Main Event to see a win from Ziggler over Tyler Bate.
Later in the show, Gunther made his return after several months away dealing with a nose injury in a winning effort over NXT Superstar Je'Von Evans. During The Ring General's entrance, he has reverted back to his old theme song, the classical piece Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, fourth movement of "Allegro con fuoco", rather than the theme he's been using for a while which sings his name.
We also now know that next week on Monday Night Raw, Gunther will face the winner of the Carmelo Hayes and Bronson Reed match, while Solo Sikoa will be up against whoever wins between Penta and Finn Balor. The other four winners of the first round (Rusev, Sheamus, Jey Uso, and LA Knight) have not had their matches formally announced, so could be in any pairing.
To recap, here is what we've got coming our way for The Last Time is Now tournament:
- Friday Night SmackDown 11/21 - Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed
- Friday Night SmackDown 11/21 - Penta vs. Finn Balor
- Monday Night Raw 11/24 - Gunther vs. (Carmelo Hayes or Bronson Reed)
- Monday Night Raw 11/24 - Solo Sikoa vs. (Penta or Finn Balor)
- Rusev, Sheamus, Jey Uso, and LA Knight round two matches are still yet to be announced
Who do you think will win these upcoming matches? What are your thoughts on these two results from tonight? Drop a comment below and keep the discussion going!