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For long, John Cena has been the WWE’s top ambassador the world over.
Be it inside the ring or at a run-of-the-mill corporate event, Cena continues to proudly wave the WWE flag—reiterating his ideals of “Hustle, Loyalty and Respect”.
However, as of late, Cena’s blossoming Hollywood career has led to him assuming a part-time role as an in-ring competitor in WWE. Regardless, what’s highly-intriguing in Cena’s case is that it isn’t merely his acting career that’s caused the significant change, but several other factors that are seemingly overlooked by fans and experts.
Today, we finally break down the walls, and take a closer look at why John Cena wrestles on a part-time schedule in WWE—
#5 Media-duty and WWE representation
John Cena is perhaps one of the greatest talkers in the history of the professional wrestling business. While his athleticism and in-ring skills are unquestionable, it’s his gift of gab that indeed got him to the pinnacle of sports-entertainment in the first place.
It was in 2008 that WWE adopted a new format for its programming, and overhauled the entire promotion as a PG-company with content that caters to audiences of any and every age category.
Around the same time, one of the company’s top stars, John Cena, subsequently found himself taking center-stage as one of the primary ambassadors of the WWE brand worldwide.
Cena has been putting in an enormous amount of media and PR (Public Relations) work for the WWE over the past decade—something that has increased exponentially since 2012.
Media obligations and PR work have, for long, been noted as responsibilities that require the sportsperson in question to cut back on their sporting activities and simultaneously increase the time and effort devoted toward promoting the organization they represent.
One of the most glaring examples of a sportsperson/promotional representative cutting back on their in-ring competition, so as to focus on media obligations, is boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr.—who competed only once or twice a year during the latter stages of his career while also donning the hat of a promoter/company representative.
#4 Wear and tear, injuries, and volume of work
Professional wrestling is a very challenging sport, which requires its performers to execute high-risk manoeuvers in a manner that ensures they don’t cause grievous bodily harm to one another.
It’s indeed an undisputed fact remains that pro-wrestlers are some of the toughest individuals on the planet. Our favorite WWE Superstars put their bodies on the line day in & day out for the sake of our entertainment, and while they’re highly trained & skilled at what they do, injuries are commonplace in this industry.
John Cena boasts a background in professional bodybuilding and is armed with a degree in exercise physiology and body movement. However, owing to the sheer volume of wrestling that Cena has clocked in over the past several years, “Super Cena” has experienced his fair share of injuries.
Cena is known for his otherworldly recovery-rime as regards injuries, however, the number of injuries he’s dealt with would undoubtedly take a toll on any athlete in the world. Considering the wear and tear on his body, coupled with the grueling wrestling schedule that a full-time WWE Superstar has to put in on the road, Cena’s part-time role over the past couple of years is absolutely understandable.
#3 Changing of the guard in WWE
Seldom has John Cena lost a match clean in the WWE, as most of The Champ’s defeats have come due to his opponents using nefarious means to cheat him out of victory.
However, in the situation that the current top talent in WWE loses a singles match clean to another Superstar, said occurrence oft-signifies a changing of the guard in the WWE Universe. Cena—WWE’s longtime top talent—faced Roman Reigns in a singles matchup at No Mercy last year, and ended up losing the showdown to Reigns.
The vast majority of professional wrestling experts noted that Cena’s aforementioned loss to Reigns at No Mercy 2017, signified a passing of the torch from Cena to Reigns, and will forever be remembered as one of the most pivotal moments in WWE history. Cena assuming a part-time role from 2016 onwards was further accentuated him losing clean to Reigns at the No Mercy PPV the following year.
However, passing the torch to Reigns or any other younger Superstar isn’t really the main reason behind Cena’s part-time WWE status. That brings us to…
#2 Hollywood John
John Cena’s foray into Hollywood isn’t a recent one, by any means.
In fact, Cena’s attempts to break through as an actor in the glamorous world of Hollywood, initially saw him stumble—with several of his ventures yielding less-than-desirable results all through the 2000s. Regardless, Cena finally garnered attention for his role in the movie “Trainwreck” back in 2015.
Furthermore, with a few other notable movies such as “Sisters”, “Daddy’s Home” (1&2), “The Wall”, and “Blockers” to name a few; Cena cemented his status as a respectable star whom film/television producers are now willing to invest in.
Cena’s blossoming Hollywood career has come as a double-edged sword—much like it did in the case of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson—as high-profile movie studios cannot risk their top actors potentially getting injured while competing in a professional wrestling match, as the insurance covering the actors and the studios’ ventures would be adversely affected by the same.
While that does contribute toward forcing Cena into a part-time schedule in WWE, we take a look at the primary factor behind the shift in his WWE career next.
#1 John Cena vs Father Time
John Cena has never been one to shy away from self-deprecation—what with having poked fun at himself on numerous occasions in the past.
In fact, despite all the hate directed towards him by UFC mega-star Conor McGregor, Cena recently noted that he’d probably get his rear-end kicked by the UFC Champion. Accordingly, over the past couple of years, Cena has noted that he understands how “Father Time” waits for no one.
The Leader of the Cenation turned 41 last month and has reiterated since 2016 that he’s well-aware his in-ring career may be winding down. Nevertheless, a part-time schedule may indeed benefit him, and possibly serve to add to the longevity of his career—something that Cena has alluded to in the past.
Regardless, of his part-time wrestling schedule in WWE, Cena has promised both the fans as well as WWE that he intends to stay with WWE for life—in his words, being a “WWE Lifer”.
