During tonight’s WWE NXT Gold Rush week one special, NXT General Manager Ava announced that, unlike previous Iron Survivor matches where various legends selected competitors, this year’s selections will be made by John Cena, a 17-time World Champion and the current WWE Intercontinental Champion. Cena will reveal his picks on next week’s NXT Gold Rush week two special.
The Iron Survivor challenge features five competitors, with two wrestlers starting the match. Additional competitors enter every five minutes, and the match lasts for 25 minutes. The winner is determined by who has the most pinfalls or submissions. If a competitor loses a fall, they must enter a 90-second penalty box, while the winner earns a future NXT Title match.
Cena is currently in the midst of his retirement run in WWE. The company is holding The Last Time Is Now Tournament to decide Cena’s final opponent. His last match will take place at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13th at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. It will air live on Peacock in the U.S. and on Netflix internationally.
With NXT Deadline and the Iron Survivor Challenge slowly approaching, who will be competing?!
One person will decide that, and that person is The GOAT, JOHN CENA! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/SbUgfTnwdJ
— WWE (@WWE) November 19, 2025
