John Cena Returning To WWE Sooner Than Expected
John Cena has not been back in the ring since SummerSlam 2021, but we know have confirmation exactly when he will be back.
This article is more than 2 years old
John Cena has fully transitioned to Hollywood in a way that few professional wrestlers before him have. After a few appearances in generic action movie roles like The Marine and 12 Rounds, his comedic abilities fully came to the forefront of his appeal as a movie star in Blockers and The Suicide Squad. Despite starring in one of the most popular streaming shows in the world, it seems that you cannot ever pull Cena entirely away from the WW. While rumors of his return to the ring are always swirling, it has now been confirmed that John Cena will be appearing on WWE Raw on Monday, June 27 in Laredo, Texas. That happens to be the 20th anniversary of his first debut on the program, so it feels like something big might happen. So does this:
That is an image from John Cena’s Instagram, which shows a boot stepping on the United States Championship belt. That title is currently held by a popular wrestler called Theory (formerly Austin Theory), and while there is no currently scheduled bout between the two, there has been a lot to indicate that match might be in the works. For one thing, John Cena’s first single championship was the United States Championship in 2004, which would make it symbolically resonant for his return to WWE. For another thing, Theory has specifically cited Cena as one of his greatest inspirations, and the older wrestler has also spoken of his admiration for the former. On the other hand, John Cena has also said that Theory is in need of an “attitude adjustment,” so you do the math.
On the other hand, WWE and John Cena could always pull a 180 and have him team up with Theory or have some other weirder combination of beefy guys hitting each other occur. Cena has been a free agent since 2017 and has sporadically appeared in advertisements and the occasional match like his bout against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam 2021. His upcoming appearance on Raw will be his first appearance since then, and doubtlessly will be treated with the gravity and amount of suplexes it deserves.
In his on-professional wrestling work, John Cena starred as the title character on the HBO Max show Peacemaker to critical and popular acclaim. The breakout character of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad reboot quickly became a fan favorite and Gunn’s trademark combination of over-the-top violence and surprising sentimentality cemented the character in the DCEU. A second season of the show has already been greenlit, as well as another Suicide Squad spin-off show centered on Amanda Waller that could possibly include appearances by John Cena’s Christopher Smith. He is also set to star in Matthew Vaughn’s ensemble spy thriller Argylle with Henry Cavill, Samuel L. Jacksons, and a whole lot of other people. A CGI-animated/live-action Coyote vs. Acme film is also in pre-production, starring John Cena in a story that seems to involve Looney Tunes’ Wile E. Coyote taking legal action against a corporation, just like kids like to watch.
