WWE Monday Night Raw: Matches announced so far, UK start time and updated ‘The Last Time is Now’ brackets

• John Cena makes his final appearance on the red brand on a special Monday Night Raw.
• The current Intercontinental Champion makes his return to Madison Square Garden, the site of some of his biggest moments in his career.
• There’s also a WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship fight, and two more first-round matches as part of ‘The Last Time is Now’ tournament.

It will be a bittersweet, historic episode of Monday Night Raw this evening, as John Cena makes his final appearance on the red brand as his active retirement tour nears its completion in December.

The generational legend returns to the hallowed Madison Square Garden, a fittingly iconic location for the reigning Intercontinental Champion’s farewell.

The venue is deeply tied to Cena’s prolific history: he secured his first major singles championship—the United States Title—at WrestleMania XX (2004), and later authored one of wrestling’s greatest shock moments as the 30th entrant in the 2008 Royal Rumble.

Walking into New York, having completed his career Grand Slam only a week prior (at the expense of Dominik Mysterio), emotions are set to be high as Cena bids farewell to the arena that helped launch the start of his era-defining championship legacy.

There happens to also be a WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship bout, two more matches in the ‘The Last Time is Now’ opening round, and a certain Bella looks to explain her abrupt change of heart on a current WWE superstar on this evening’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

So, what time should you be tuning in this evening?

What time is WWE Monday Night Raw starting in the UK this week?

This evening episode of WWE Monday Night Raw is scheduled to air once again on Netflix from 1am GMT on November 18, with on-demand repeats available shortly after the show’s initial broadcast.

What else has been announced for Monday Night Raw this evening?

WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) v Maxxine Dupri

After multiple shock victories over ‘The Man,’ Maxxine Dupri finally gets her long-awaited title shot against WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch on Monday Night Raw.

This is more than a title defence; it is a grudge match. Dupri’s prior upsets have exposed a rare vulnerability in Lynch, making the champion seem fallible just two months before Royal Rumble 2026.

Owing to Dupri’s underdog status, the current champion must deliver a statement win to reassert her dominance—or face a shocking, career-defining loss.

The Last Time Is Now Tournament: Gunther (Raw) v Je’Von Evans (NXT)

The tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent on the December 13 episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event continues, with one of the favourites to meet the retiring WWE legend facing off against one of NXT’s brightest talents.

The ‘Young OG of NXT’ gets his biggest opportunity to date against the formidable former World Heavyweight Champion, while Gunther makes his long-awaited return since losing the World Heavyweight Championship to CM Punk at SummerSlam earlier this year.

How much of the brutal, hard-hitting style will Gunther bring, and can Evans use his speed and agility to survive and potentially pull off an upset that launches his career?

The Last Time Is Now Tournament: Solo Sikoa v X

The atmosphere of surprise surrounding the ‘Last Time is Now’ tournament continues as Solo Sikoa is set to face a truly unknown entity in his first-round match.

Who steps up to the ruthless leader of The MFT? John Cena’s promise that even names who ‘don’t even work’ for the WWE might appear has turned this into a massive guessing game.

Given the shock return of Zack Ryder on SmackDown over the weekend, the speculation is running wild: could another blast from the ‘Never Seen 17’s’ past challenge the terrifying Solo Sikoa, or will the mystery be a new, dominant force like an NXT call-up (such as Oba Femi)?

Regardless of their identity, the opponent faces the impossible task of surviving Solo Sikoa, whose victory will almost certainly be used to further cement his violent authority in the final weeks leading to Saturday Night's Main Event.

Nikki Bella to explain her actions after turning on Stephanie Vaquer

After weeks of acting as a steadfast ally, the WWE Universe was stunned last week when Nikki Bella completely turned her back on her friend and current Women’s World Champion, Stephanie Vaquer.

Tonight, all eyes will be on the Total Divas star as she finally addresses her reasons for the brutal assault.

Is this merely a case of jealousy and bitterness over how warmly Vaquer has been received by the WWE Universe since joining the company?

Or is this a chilling, direct statement of intent over the Women's World Championship Vaquer is currently holding? The only person who holds the key to the next title feud is Nikki, and hopefully, she’ll enlighten us this evening as to why—Nikki, why?

What are the current ‘The Last Time is Now’ tournament brackets looking like?

With a few more first-round matches now having been completed and the final contestants having been announced on WWE Friday Night SmackDown before the weekend, we now have somewhat of a fuller idea who could be John Cena’s final opponent.

As of writing, here are the names and current brackets for ‘The Last Time is Now’ tournament, which continues this evening:

First Round Entrants

• Rusev
• Damian Priest
• Shinsuke Nakamura
• Sheamus
• Jey Uso
• LA Knight
• Je’Von Evans
• Gunther
• Solo Sikoa
• Carmelo Hayes
• Bronson Reed
• Penta
• Finn Balor
• Zack Ryder (mystery opponent)
• The Miz

Quarter Finalists

• Rusev (defeated Damian Priest)
• Sheamus (defeated Shinsuke Nakamuira)
• Jey Uso (defeated The Miz)
• LA Knight (defeated Zack Ryder)

You can take a look at our early predictions of who we think could face John Cena as his final opponent at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and see how we’re doing so far, by checking out our most recent article.

All information is correct as of the time of writing.