5 Reasons why John Cena may be missing the Royal Rumble match

Right before RAW this week, the news broke stunning everyone in the WWE Universe. We were informed that John Cena may not be in the Royal Rumble match as he sustained an injury in the main event match last week.

This was the announcement that WWE put out:

The Cenation Leader faced Finn Balor, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre for the right to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the WWE Royal Rumble event. As seen in the video above, the injury seemingly occurred when McIntyre trapped Cena in the ankle lock submission hold. Cena can then be seen favoring his left ankle while leaving the ring after Raw went off the air.

They went on to mention the following:

The injury was exacerbated earlier today as Cena was training his legs at the gym, which has cast doubt on whether he will be able to compete in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match this Sunday.

In this article, I shall try and make sense of this and try to figure out why Cena is being written off the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.

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#5 Possible legitimate injury to Cena

Maybe the injury is not a work at all

So, let's get the obvious reason out of the way before we commence with the article at hand. Maybe John Cena did suffer an injury while competing in the main event match. Cena competes at a very high level and there's always a chance that something went awry.

And if this is the case, then we wish him a speedy recovery. Wrestling fans are always known to fear the worst case scenario. We do not stop to think that Cena is a human being too.

Get well soon, Super Cena. WWE and Hollywood both need you!

#4 Filming commitments

Like it or not, John Cena is a legitimate mainstream celebrity now

John Cena carried WWE on his able shoulders for the entirety of the PG Era. But one has to come to terms with the fact that he is, first and foremost, a mainstream Hollywood star now. He has experienced a great deal of success with movies like Ferdinand and Bumblebee.

In fact, rumours had emerged some time back that Cena would not be able to compete in the Royal Rumble owing to his film commitments. Which is why I was a little stunned when Cena tossed his name into the hat and announced that he would be competing in the said match. Cena may already have other commitments in place that don't allow him to participate in the said match.

John Cena will certainly keep competing in WWE for a long time. But Hollywood will always be his main focus.

#3 He has accomplished his goals for his most recent run

Cena only returned to the ring to put over younger superstars

Yes, John Cena is a 16-time world champion for sure. But I suspect that his current role in WWE is to put younger superstars over. He did this with Becky Lynch and Finn Balor during his most recent run. He had nothing more to do at the Royal Rumble.

Let's assume for a moment that his injury is a work. If so, he has nothing more to accomplish by being in the Royal Rumble match. Cena's already served his purpose when he allowed Finn Balor to pin him.

As my colleague, Greg Bush joked, with the injury to John Cena's legs, fans have finally seen him his long-awaited heel turn. Why would he want to take a top rope bump?

It's highly unlikely that he was going to win the match anyway.

#2 To have a readymade feud upon his return

Cena vs. McIntyre could actually be a very big WrestleMania 35 match

Drew McIntyre did not have a very good first run in WWE. He had all the attributes to make it as a top star, but he was slotted alongside Slater and Mahal in 3 MB and that sealed his doom forever. McIntyre reinvented himself in the independents and made a huge comeback to NXT thereafter.

He has been rising up the ranks ever since his return to action. But the fact of the matter is that McIntyre hasn't had that one big, defining win thus far. Sure, his win against Kurt Angle was monumental but a match against Cena at WrestleMania could catapult him to the stratosphere.

Coincidentally I had a chance to speak to McIntyre right before RAW took place and I will have the interview transcribed shortly after RAW is done. Cena could have a readymade feud waiting for him in McIntyre when he returns.

#1 Maybe it is all a swerve

Could Super Cena come back for the Royal Rumble match?

Notice how nobody is saying that John Cena will miss the Royal Rumble match. All they've been saying is that he could miss it. And this points to the fact that Cena may swerve us all and make a return at the said event. It's unlikely that he'll win but the crowd will pop when he returns.

I don't see the point of having Cena competing in the Royal Rumble match. He's suffered far too many losses already and another Rumble elimination will do him no good. The mystique of the man who never got pinned is long lost.

But it's interesting that WWE is uncertain about Cena's Royal Rumble status. It makes me wonder if something big is afoot.

Could we hear his distinctive theme song echo through the arena at the Royal Rumble?