WWE Confirms Date For John Cena’s Next SmackDown Appearance

WWE confirms John Cena’s appearance and announces Aleister Black vs. R-Truth and a tag team bout for August 22.

WWE Confirms Date For John Cena’s Next SmackDown Appearance

WWE has officially announced that John Cena will appear on the August 22nd episode of SmackDown, which is set to take place in Ireland. In addition to Cena’s appearance, two matches have been confirmed for the broadcast.

Aleister Black is scheduled to face R-Truth in a singles match. The bout was made following a backstage confrontation where Black interrupted Truth. During the segment, a cheerful Truth was discussing John Cena before shifting to a more serious “Ron Killings” persona to address Black.

The second confirmed match will see The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) take on the team of Carmelo Hayes & The Miz, known as Melo Don’t Miz. The match was finalized by SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis after the two teams had a confrontation in the backstage area.

The current lineup for the August 22nd episode of WWE SmackDown is as follows:

  • Motor City Machine Guns vs. Melo Don’t Miz
  • Aleister Black vs. R-Truth
  • An appearance by John Cena

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar Plans

Cena’s upcoming appearance follows the recent escalation of his rivalry with Brock Lesnar, who made a surprise return at SummerSlam 2025 to attack Cena after his match with Cody Rhodes. This was Lesnar’s first time on WWE programming in two years, a hiatus linked to his alleged involvement in the Janel Grant lawsuit. While WWE’s legal team reportedly cleared his return, Lesnar’s status in the lawsuit itself has not changed.

Reports indicate that a main event match between Cena and Lesnar is planned for a premium live event on September 20, 2025, in Indianapolis. The scheduling of this event places it in direct competition with AEW’s All Out pay-per-view.

According to a report from BodySlam, there are internal disagreements within WWE regarding the finish of the planned match. Many within the company are said to believe Cena should win as his in-ring career winds down. Conversely, some advocate for a Lesnar victory, as it would be his first match since his return.

John Cena has stated he plans to retire by the end of 2025 and has a limited number of matches remaining. On a recent episode of SmackDown, he acknowledged Lesnar’s attack and stated, “come get some” if Lesnar wanted a fight.

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Article Author Patricki Chites
I’m Patricki Chites, a journalist with over 15 years of experience covering pro wrestling and geek culture. Founder of Wrestling Notícias, the largest WWE website in South America, I’m now bringing my passion and expertise to a global audience with The Wrestling Reports, leading a new era of English-language wrestling coverage.