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I know it’s going to take some time to get used to, but we now live in a world where the face that runs the place is a part-time talent. The man that’s dominated the industry for close to 15 years is now actively seeking ventures outside of the squared circle.
The man you can’t see has been a mainstay on our televisions for as long as we can remember, but now that he’s a part-time talent, his appearances on WWE programming have become more special. The rarity of his TV time have made for compelling television and the WWE are now extra careful in how they book the 16-time world champion.
Here are the best five ways for John Cena return to the WWE
#5 To save SmackDownLive
Since John Cena openly left the blue brand to face Roman Reigns on RAW, the show has gone downhill. The post-Draft buzz that occurred when Cena joined SDLive was undeniable but without his star power, the show feels flat. It has evidently fallen behind its rival RAW in terms of both viewership and excitement.
The face that runs the place is the only man powerful enough to turn the tide in SmackDown’s favour again. It was at the back end of 2016 that SmackDown beat Raw in the ratings for the first time ever. Guess whose return was heavily advertised for that show? None other than John Cena himself.
#4 To put over Finn Balor
Recently, the 16-time world champion has been in the business of putting over younger talents. The man who ties Ric Flair’s record for most championships ever, has seemingly with no grudges, embarked on securing the long-term future of the company.
In the past few years, John Cena has put over cleanly; Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Roman Reigns. Those clean wins have allowed each of those superstars to firmly become main eventers in the WWE. Why? Because John Cena’s star power is so much that his rub legitimises others.
Right now, in the WWE, there is no superstar readier than Finn Balor to propel into that upper echelon. The Demon King is poised to take over the WWE and a clean win over John Cena would go a long way in establishing that process.
#3 Surprise member at Survivor Series
As the only man special enough to be a free agent, John Cena has the freedom to go to RAW or SmackDown as he pleases. That interesting status plays perfectly into the concept of the upcoming Survivor Series.
At the 30th annual Survivor Series, Team RAW will be going head to head with Team Blue, and that includes a traditional 5 on 5 elimination match. As of now, neither team has been finalised and if the WWE wants to make the event as big as possible, John Cena is needed on the card.
The WWE doesn't even have to advertise the Cenation leader’s return, in fact, he could be a last-minute addition after one of either team’s member gets taken out on the night. That way his return can be a secret and provide us with even more shock value.
#2 At the Royal Rumble
The biggest pop John Cena ever received in his career was when he returned at the 2008 Royal Rumble. The Cenation leader’s entry at #30 blew the roof off Madison Square Garden and turned the event into an incredibly memorable one. John Cena hasn’t featured in the Royal Rumble match since 2013, where he won it for the second time. The WWE purposely keep the Cenation leader out of these matches to protect his character.
But in recent years, the Royal Rumble hasn’t been filled with many emphatic surprises and the arrival of John Cena at Royal Rumble's 2018 edition, would reverse that trend. Rumours suggest that Jinder Mahal will be facing Cena at Wrestlemania 34, there’s no better way to set that up than to have Cena win the Rumble match for a record third time.
#1 On Christmas day RAW
For the first time ever, the WWE will be broadcasting a live episode of Monday Night Raw on Christmas day. On the rare few occasions that Christmas has been on a Monday, the higher-ups have sanctioned pre-taped versions of the show.
However, it’s no secret that these holiday-themed episodes don’t do well in the ratings. Spoilers coming out in advance of the show don’t help and this time Vince McMahon has decided to buck that trend by giving us a special live broadcast.
Many have branded the decision as immoral but we all know how money-driven the Boss is. So, what better way to make this episode, even more, the historic than to feature the return of the greatest WWE superstar of all time. This will boost ratings and legitimise the show as more than just a novelty holiday episode.
