rewrite this title 3 potential finishes for Rusev vs. Damian Priest in the John Cena tournament on WWE RAW

The November 10 edition of WWE RAW will feature the start of John Cena’s The Last Time is Now Tournament. 16 men will battle it out over the coming weeks to determine which superstar will face the Never Seen 17 in his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13.

One of the two first round matches set for tonight’s episode of the red-branded show is Rusev vs. Damian Priest. The two powerhouses have never had a singles match in WWE before, and it promises to be a good watch. However, it is anybody’s guess as to which star picks up the victory.

With that in mind, here are three potential finishes for Rusev vs. Damian Priest tonight on WWE RAW:

3. Rusev could beat Damian Priest clean

During his first run in WWE, The Bulgarian Brute seemed invincible before his feud with John Cena. The two had a storyline involving the United States Championship heading into WrestleMania 31, and even though Rusev defeated Cena at Fastlane 2015, Cena would end up dethroning him at the Show of Shows.

The two later had a Russian Chain and an “I Quit” match at Extreme Rules and Payback 2015, both of which the Franchise Player won to conclude their rivalry. Fast forward to 2025, and Rusev has a chance to exact revenge by sending Cena into retirement.

To that end, he could defeat Damian Priest clean tonight on WWE RAW and advance to the next round of the tournament. However, it seems unlikely as there is no new story to tell between the two, and Cena is expected to face a younger talent in his last match.

2. Damian Priest could win clean

Tonight will be the Archer of Infamy’s first match since losing the Last Man Standing match to Aleister Black on SmackDown a couple of weeks ago. The former World Heavyweight Champion was burned by a fireball launched into his face by Black, causing him to go crashing through a bunch of tables and fail to make the count of 10.

To regain momentum after a heavy defeat, WWE could book Damian Priest to defeat Rusev clean in the middle of the ring. Their match is expected to be a one-off affair since they are on opposing brands, and Priest seems like the more likely candidate to face Cena than Rusev.

1. Penta could interfere to cause Rusev to lose

As a brutish heel, it seems unlikely that Rusev will fight clean against a formidable opponent like Damian Priest. To prevent him from cheating to win, Penta could run out to the ring and neutralize his tactics, allowing Priest to pick up the win.

This way, the two former AEW stars could continue their feud while Priest gets more involved in the Last Time is Now Tournament in the coming weeks. Penta and Rusev have faced each other twice in singles matches, with the Bulgarian Brute earning one win, while the other ended in a no-contest.

To even the score, Penta could play a part in the match and continue his feud with Rusev till he finally gets a win over him.

Edited by Arsh Das