4 Booking Steps for Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena in WWE

Brock Lesnar returned at SummerSlam by targeting a familiar foe in John Cena. The 17-time champion had just cleanly lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes. The two can be expected to square off one more time.

Facing off at a bigger premium live event like Survivor Series: WarGames or Crown Jewel: Perth makes more sense, but Cena has limited matches remaining in 2025. For that reason, the two enemies will likely face off at Clash in Paris.

Having the act at The Biggest Party of the Summer also aligns historically with the former Universal Champion, as this year's show marked two years since Lesnar last competed for WWE (loss to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam 2023).

Cena could square off with The Beast Incarnate before his retirement tour ends. With that said, WWE could take the next four steps to book the feud between the long-time rivals.

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#4. John Cena addresses the attack on SmackDown

The first logical step would be for John Cena to address the WWE Universe after losing to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam. With Cena set to open tonight's episode of SmackDown, it would give him the chance to talk about everything that happened. He could pivot to Lesnar's shocking return and attack, causing The Beast to emerge from his cave.

It could set up another attack with more action instead of a lone F5. This would leave fans cheering as the segment kicks off SmackDown.

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#3. Cena challenges Lesnar to a match on the following SmackDown

John Cena doesn't back down from a hard-charging Beast. (Image Credit: WWE.com).

Since he'll have been beaten down on two straight occasions by Brock Lesnar, John Cena could then probably cut through the noise and challenge The Beast to a match.

Lesnar wouldn't have to appear, especially since another attack and quick departure would be a strong possibility. Nick Aldis could ask Cena if that's what he really wants, leading to the match being made official.

With the match having the potential to be highly physical, Aldis could make it a Street Fight or have Cena sign a "hold harmless" agreement to cover WWE and himself.

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#2. Lesnar accepts; The two brawl

With the match being made official, The Beast Incarnate would have to appear on the go-home episode of SmackDown before Clash in Paris. The two could brawl all over the arena, forcing security to break them up.

This would allow Cena to save some face by not getting attacked yet again. It would also give the fans what they want when Cena hits a few "security guards" with Attitude Adjustments. Lesnar could also blast some extras with F5s.

WWE often uses brawls to close shows, and this would be a great way to lead into Clash in Paris.

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#1. Brock Lesnar wins at WWE Clash in Paris

Since this will be Lesnar's first match in over two years, he might not lose to John Cena. If there was time for a three-PLE feud, then Cena could win.

Since time is limited, The Beast could run through his long-time rival. The 17-time World Champion could put up a valiant effort, but still fall short in the end.

It wouldn't have to be an outright squash match, but rather a dominant showing. This could cause Cena's next opponent to mock him after the Clash in Paris PLE, and potentially give him a win.