One name that has been constantly synonymous with the WWE after the likes of the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin left the company has been John Cena. He has been the WWE’s warhorse for the WWE carrying the whole burden of the WWE on his superman shoulders.
Although there were superstars like Batista, Edge and Rey Mysterio pushed along with Cena, there was no real replacement for Cena till Roman Reigns has been the WWE’s projected ‘face that runs the place.’
While WWE were hell bent on shoving Reigns down our throats, it gave a chance for Cena to pursue other activities like acting, anchoring music award shows and guest appearances outside the WWE.
He is currently shooting for his TV reality show, American Grit and there have been rumors that he might have a guest appearance or a cameo in the Thor: Ragnarok movie. Rumors are floating around that John Cena is unhappy with the WWE off late.
The reason being given is that, Bill Goldberg has been hogging all of the limelight on the RAW side of things, while SmackDown Live had to call back the Undertaker to fill in for Cena during the build up to Survivor Series. According to a report from the Pro Wrestling Unlimited, Cena is displeased that his return date has been pushed back due to the Deadman returning to a slightly regular schedule.
As always we request our readers to take this report with a pinch of salt as there has been no confirmation obviously, from both the ends. Cena recently tweeted before the Survivor Series pay per view saying that he missed interactions and receptions from the WWE Universe.
Cena is currently penciled to work the Royal Rumble pay per view and while no specific date or timeline has been mentioned for his return, we can expect to see him back in time for the buildup for the Rumble. This year’s event is touted to be a historic event and they would want Cena to handle things like only Cena can.
Although he was once loathed for not putting over newer talent and his never ending pushes, Cena is at this weird stage of his career now, where he is no longer ‘the man’, but is the top star for the company.
This has been proven by the ratings too. Although SmackDown Live boasts of a great pool of talent with the likes of Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, the Miz and Dolph Ziggler, they are nowhere close to generating the impact that Cena did. According to October’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Cena is much bigger of a draw than Dean Ambrose, the top baby face who tries to fill in as best as he can whenever Cena is not around.
Cena’s absence from RAW when he transitioned to SmackDown Live too had a negative effect on the brand. Apparently, the report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter claims that Cena is one of only the four current ‘active’ superstars who impact the business and is worthy enough to be considered a ‘draw’.
Technically speaking, the WWE currently rests on four pillars, namely Brock Lesnar, Bill Goldberg, The Undertaker and John Cena. With Triple H transitioning to more behind the scenes of roles, and the Rock committing to non-wrestling roles, it appears that the four pillars are the above mentioned superstars.
It is worth mentioning that it took almost 14 years for Cena to get where he is today and he has somewhat transitioned to a role where is appreciated for the amount of effort he puts in and improved in ring moves against the likes of AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn.
More than Cena missing the WWE terribly, as he put it, it is the WWE who is missing Cena especially with SmackDown Live’s thin roster. One thing is for sure, Cena attracts fans and also brings passion to the show and is a rare breed and cannot be replaced.
Even though his days as a full time competitor appear to be over currently ( please note, he will be working a limited and a lighter schedule now with the WWE), he is definitely a money maker for the WWE and we hope that the issues reported are sorted out soon.
- Updated card for the WWE Royal Rumble pay per view - January 28, 2017
- WWE SmackDown Results – 01/24/2017 - January 26, 2017
- WWE RAW Results – 01/23/2017 - January 24, 2017
