Following his brutal loss to Cody Rhodes and post-match attack from Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, John Cena officially returned to WWE television as a babyface on Friday’s SmackDown.
The show also saw the return of R-Truth, prompting a lighthearted exchange between the two. Cena joked about R-Truth having “really acted weird for five months,” while WWE’s official account posted: “R-Truth reunites with his childhood hero. PEACE HAS BEEN RESTORED.”
R-Truth reunites with his childhood hero 🥹
— WWE (@WWE) August 9, 2025
PEACE HAS BEEN RESTORED 🙌🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/3hT7ijqWer
Tag Team Action with Cody Rhodes
Later in the night, Logan Paul confronted Cena and demanded a match. Drew McIntyre came out and they started giving Cena a beat down. Cody Rhodes came out to make the save. Cena teamed with Cody Rhodes to take on Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre. The match ended in a disqualification win for Cena and Rhodes after interference, but the team still stood tall in the ring to the delight of the crowd.
Cena will now take on Paul at WWE Clash in Paris in France.
This one's for you, Montreal! 🫵 pic.twitter.com/zVEQOs9Pmf
— WWE (@WWE) August 9, 2025
.@JohnCena and @LoganPaul will battle it out at #WWEClash in Paris! 🇫🇷
— WWE (@WWE) August 9, 2025
🎟️ https://t.co/ymb9uKJeft pic.twitter.com/ypGFCmzcyF
Addressing Brock Lesnar
Cena also had words for Brock Lesnar, who shocked the WWE Universe at SummerSlam with his first appearance since 2023. Lesnar attacked Cena after Rhodes’ victory, hitting him with a devastating F-5.
On SmackDown, Cena issued a direct challenge to “The Beast Incarnate.”
“You know there is no universe in which I ever back down from Brock Lesnar… When you want some, come get some,” said Cena.
According to recent comments from Triple H, it seems as if John Cena handpicked Brock Lesnar to fight as part of his retirement wishlist.
If there's one thing @JohnCena is NOT gonna do…
— WWE (@WWE) August 9, 2025
it's back down from a fight 😤 pic.twitter.com/mYNWoi4mEd
The challenge sets the stage for what could be a major showdown between the two megastars in the coming months.
However, the bigger question just might be: What does The Final Boss, Dwayne Johnson, think of Cena’s latest turn?
