3 Potential Finishes for Rusev vs. Damian Priest in the John Cena Tournament on WWE RAW

The November 10th 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 next few weeks to determine which Superstar will face Never Seen 17 in their final match in the main event on Saturday night, December 13th.

One of two first-round matches scheduled for tonight's episode of the red-brand show is Rusev against Damian Priest. The two powerhouses have never had a singles match in WWE and it promises to be a good watch. However, no one can guess which star wins the victory.

With that in mind, here are three potential endings 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 looked invincible before his feud with John Cena. The two had a storyline involving the United States Championship leading up to WrestleMania 31, and although Rusev defeated Cena at Fastlane 2015, Cena would end up destroying 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 get 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 younger talent in his final match.

2. Damian Priest could win cleanly

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 thrown at Black's face, sending him crashing through a bunch of tables and unable to count to 10.

To regain momentum after a big loss, WWE could book Damian Priest to defeat Rusev cleanly in the middle of the ring. Their match is expected to be a one-off affair as they are on opposite brands, with Priest looking like the more likely candidate to face Cena than Rusev.

1. Penta could interfere to make Rusev lose

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

That 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 brute Bulgarian picking up a victory, while the other ended in a no-contest.

To even the score, Penta could play a role in the match and continue his feud with Rusev until he finally gets a victory over him.