John Cena is on the way back. Those very words have likely sent shivers down the spine of WWE fans everywhere, and with good reason. Many are surely anticipating his return, while others are surely dreading it. Either way, Cena creates a buzz and he really always has.
But this is about more than WWE’s top guy simply coming back from injury. The company that John left is not the company he’s coming back to. This WWE has unofficially become Shane McMahon’s WWE, and that is a much different place indeed.
Shane’s involvement on TV may indeed be just a storyline, but the new era of WWE has been credited to his presence. New faces are getting a shot, new storylines are happening, and new feuds are fueling today’s product.
It definitely feels as though a new day has dawned in WWE. This is the WWE of AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Enzo and Big Cass. The New Day is king, while The Bullet Club is set to take the company by storm. This is the WWE of the future and that future is now.
But where does that leave John Cena? Does WWE’s most controversial top draw just walk right back in as if nothing’s changed? How could that possibly happen? Is anyone in WWE creative even remotely concerned about how he will be received, considering he usually gets killed with a wave of hate every time?
Cena is the man in WWE, and nothing has really happened during his absence to suggest that he’s no longer needed. So despite how much fans may be dreading his return, the fact is he’s coming back whether anyone likes it or not.
John is good for business, and there’s just no denying that. He gets a reaction because he’s such a polarizing figure, but it goes much deeper than that. He is the goodwill ambassador for WWE to the rest of the world. He represents everything that WWE is and wants to be. He has a good heart, he wants to be the best, and he’s sincere in his desire to carry the weight of the company on his shoulders.
He has never run from the responsibility, and he likely never will. John excels in situations where everyone has dismissed him, and he is fully capable of having a five-star match with anyone on the roster. He had a stellar 2015, and his matches were critically acclaimed among the WWE faithful.
Fans know what he means to WWE, but he never fully gets the credit he deserves. He could very well be the hardest working man in the company, not because he’s trying to score points with fans, but because he truly wants to be the guy.
He loves the business and he shows it every time he’s in the ring. He has been the standard bearer for so long, and he’s been on top longer than any other top guy in WWE history. Cena has done some work in Hollywood, but WWE is his first home and that will always be the case.
But at some point, the company must move on without him. Therein lays the bad part about his return. The truth is Cena will indeed walk back in as if nothing has changed. He’s done it his entire career, and he likely always will.
The problem of course is his character. Cena is essentially the same character that took WWE by storm over 10 years ago. The hip-hop gimmick may have changed, and he might not be foul mouthed like he once was, but everything else has remained the same.
Cena has endured a lifetime of competitive matches. He’s experienced betrayal and suffered physical, as well as psychological, attacks. He’s fought legends and upstarts, he’s struggled through injuries, and he’s had unbelievable hate leveled at him from the same fans he loves to entertain.
Through it all, he’s never changed. He’s never let any crisis or impossible situation influence the way he thinks or the way he acts. John Cena has survived through an incredibly tough reality of combat and pain, and he’s still smiling. This is why fans believe him to be stale; he’s simply never grown as a character.
It’s not about his real-world commitment to WWE; it’s about him never advancing as a character. He will run down the ramp on Memorial Day, slide into the ring, and smile as if he never left. John Cena is coming back to a company headlined by Roman Reigns, who is upheld by a diverse and dynamic supporting cast. New faces and established talents are working hard to deliver the best product possible, and they’re doing it with an exciting blank canvas.
But Cena will step right back into his old role. The fact is as long as he’s the top guy; he will be spotlighted and protected above all others. Monday Night Raw was the John Cena show, and it will become that again, once he returns.
Is that the right move? Can the company give Cena the time and attention he usually gets, and still present the new era as it has been during his absence? Will John be a man out of time, a leader whose army marches without him? This is the issue WWE faces, and simply returning to business as usual with John on top may indeed be a very detrimental choice.
Tom Clark can regularly be found on Sportskeeda. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here
