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The last time John Cena was seen in WWE, The Leader of the Cenation was involved in a feud against Bray Wyatt at this year's WrestleMania.
John Cena recently married his long-time girlfriend, Shay Shariatzadeh. Cena has been making waves in Hollywood and has several projects lined up, such as Fast and the Furious 9 and The Suicide Squad.
It's safe to say that the 16-time WWE Champion doesn't necessarily need to return to his wrestling roots to stay busy at the moment.
But the time will come when Cena must eventually return, and fans can't wait to see how his kayfabe personality might be altered thanks to his encounter with The Fiend. With that in mind, here are 5 ways John Cena's personality could change in WWE.
#5: John Cena brings back "The Doctor of Thuganomics" gimmick upon WWE return
In WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era docuseries, John Cena revealed the reason why he dropped his 'Doctor of Thuganomics' gimmick in the first place:
"Here I had a personality that attached to the people who were watching, but then slowly the people who were watching changed and they began to be more kids and more families to come to these events. And I saw it happen. I didn't need a sheet of analytics. I can see it. So I said, this is it. We're changing up right now. I remember going into Vince's office and said, 'I have to stop rapping.'" h/t: Fightful
It's understandable why Cena chose to fit into WWE's PG-friendly era, but times have changed since then. Although the company won't revert to its Attitude Era days, WWE has taken some creative risks with their programming in 2020. Alexa Bliss and The Fiend's storyline is a good example.
The two most recent editions of WrestleMania saw John Cena bringing back 'Dr. of Thuganomics' on both occasions, so as a consequence of losing against The Fiend, Cena could revive that gimmick for an important feud when he returns to WWE.
#4: John Cena returns to WWE as The Prototype
Before John Cena was The Leader of the Cenation or even the Doctor of Thuganomics, he was referred to as The Prototype in WWE's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).
The Prototype was a semi-robotic character that Cena portrayed during his earliest days as a pro wrestler. Interestingly, this version of John Cena made an appearance during the Firefly Fun House Match at WrestleMania 36.
WWE fans remember that iconic moment where Prototype came down to answer Kurt Angle's open challenge on SmackDown in 2002, saying that he had the "ruthless aggression" that Vince McMahon was looking for in his Superstars.
The Firefly Fun House Match took a more cynical approach to that moment, which was re-created with Bray Wyatt replacing Kurt Angle. The Prototype appeared less than competent and couldn't beat up Wyatt inside the ring.
Cena's return to WWE as The Prototype would be bizarre, to say the least. The Leader of the Cenation has evolved to a point where he is now a globally recognized star, but a scenario where John Cena starts hustling like a young up-and-coming talent while in his 40s would truly encapsulate the strange consequences of his Firefly Fun House Match against Bray Wyatt.
#3: John Cena becomes an insecure/weaker version of his babyface character in WWE
The Firefly Fun House Match encapsulated John Cena's career, as well as his biggest fears as a character in WWE. On the surface, John Cena has been booked as one of the strongest babyfaces of all time for the most part.
But looking at one's own reflection in the mirror for far too long can make a person insecure, which is exactly what Cena went through in his surreal battle with Bray Wyatt.
So when John Cena returns to the world of wrestling entertainment, it is possible that he may accept the fact that things are no longer the same for him in WWE. In the last few years, viewers have noticed how Cena has gradually stepped down from his position as the "face of WWE". Perhaps the consequences from his latest feud with Bray Wyatt might have been the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of John Cena no longer being able to retain his status as the ideally perfect WWE Superstar that children are supposed to look up to.
This idea sounds quite depressing for an entertaining show, but it is the most realistic outcome of an intentionally unrealistic match.
#2: John Cena turns on the WWE Universe and adopts a character similar to nWo's Hulk Hogan
For the most part, heroes don't last too long in WWE. Hulk Hogan was an exception to this rule in the 80s, but even he fell over to the dark side in WCW. It wouldn't be too surprising if John Cena too embraced the dark side upon his return.
When fans started to turn on Hulk Hogan, 'The Real American' gimmick had to be retired for a while, as Hogan joined forces with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form the 'nWo'.
In Bray Wyatt and John Cena's Firefly Fun House Match, fans witnessed Cena clad in a 'nWo' T-shirt at one point. This was a not-so-subtle nod to the similarities between Hogan and Cena as WWE's top stars across different generations. The Leader of the Cenation has always stood by his gimmick as a muscular hero for Americans, and mostly their children, just like Hogan.
Bray Wyatt changes the course of his opponents in WWE, and Cena shouldn't be an exception here. Perhaps the next time Cena returns, his confident personality might just be a facade to conceal a Hogan-esque heel turn brewing underneath the surface.
#1: John Cena becomes a strong threat by returning as a cynical version of the 'Superman of WWE' gimmick
This entry might just be the best and most intriguing way to book John Cena's return to WWE. What if Superman grew up as a toxic personality instead of living in a humble environment with his adoptive parents? Amazon has released a cynical show called 'The Boys', which explores the very same question in the form of a Superman-like character called 'Homelander'.
Homelander represents the grave consequences of what would happen if the most powerful person on the planet was the ultimate narcissist. John Cena has been booked like WWE's own version of Superman for years, and it would be intriguing to see how such a protected character could wreak havoc with the wrong intentions in mind.
Bray Wyatt's evil alter-ego laid the groundwork for a potential Cena heel turn by defeating and exposing his weaknesses at The Grandest Stage of Them All, and perhaps the consequences of that encounter could bring up a rage-filled version of John Cena that has never surfaced in WWE before.
This scary persona could also affect the morale of the entire locker room, where everybody else may have to walk on eggshells around Cena as a result. Ultimately, this version of John Cena could also be the perfect WWE opponent for Roman Reigns down the line.
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