From the WWE Rumor Mill: John Cena could be Raw exclusive after SummerSlam
The Champ is here, but just for Monday Night Raw?
What’s the Story?
John Cena has been advertised as a free agent and will be appearing on Raw and SmackDown Live Events in the coming weeks.
Also read: An open letter to the Doctor of Thuganomics, John Cena
However, Wrestling INC is reporting that the 16-time World Champion may be exclusive to Monday Night Raw after the August 15, 2017, edition of SmackDown Live.
In case you didn’t know...
Cena debuted on WWE programming in 2002 on Friday Night SmackDown and remained with the blue brand until 2005 when he was drafted to Monday Night Raw. He then remained exclusive to the flagship show until the brand split came to an end.
In 2016, Cena was drafted to SmackDown Live during the second iteration of the brand split and remained exclusive to the brand for the rest of his 2016-2017 run.
The heart of the matter
Cena is advertised to appear at Raw related shows after SummerSlam, but he is not advertised for any SmackDown events after the biggest show of the summer.
Once Cena appears on the August 15, 2017 edition of SmackDown Live, he will face his SummerSlam opponent and seemingly remain a Raw Superstar for the foreseeable future.
Assuming the advertisements don’t change, this could potentially spoil the outcome of several of Cena’s matches in the coming weeks.
Cena is rumored to face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship, but the advertisements suggest that he will not capture his record 17th World Championship.
This also could have implications on the rumoured Superstar Shakeup that will occur after SummerSlam. If the shakeup does happen, Cena could be drafted to Raw and remain on the flagship show.
What’s next?
Cena will face Shinsuke Nakamura in a number one contenders match on this week’s episode of SmackDown.
If he wins, he’ll more than likely lose to Mahal at SummerSlam and end his time as a SmackDown superstar.
Author’s take
Cena wrestling exclusively for one brand seemingly defeats the purpose of him being a free agent, but that may be for his convenience more than anything else.
Cena more than likely has other projects and work outside the WWE, so freeing up the rest of his week aside from Sundays and Mondays could work more in his favor than anything else.
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