John Cena must challenge current WWE champion for his title if he returns at Backlash

John Cena was spotted in France just a couple of days before the WWE Backlash event, and speculation has intensified about whether he will appear on the first Premium Live Event after WrestleMania 40.

The 16-time world champion participated in the Night 2 main event between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns at The Grandest Stage of Them All and appeared on the RAW after Mania.

Since then, he has been taking time off from WWE again to film his new movie, "Heads of State." Still, if he appears at the PLE in Lyon, a likely opponent could be the reigning United States Champion Logan Paul, who has no match scheduled for Backlash.

John Cena can add another title to his legendary WWE career

John Cena is tied with Ric Flair for the most world titles in WWE history with 16. The Cenation Leader is yet to win a championship for the 17th time and become the all-time leader.

At the same time, he is a five-time United States Champion and has 21 titles in singles competition. He is also a four-time tag team champion. By challenging Logan Paul, John Cena will have a chance to add another title to his legendary career, the first in almost a decade.

Logan Paul and John Cena have never faced each other one-on-one

Logan Paul and John Cena have one thing in common in WWE: They are both part-timers, meaning they don't regularly appear on TV and Premium Live Events.

Thus, they have yet to face each other in singles competition, and with Paul having no challenger for his title at the moment, Cena could be the ideal opponent for him at Backlash.

The two superstars can collide either on an impromptu match at Backlash or start a feud that will reach its peak in one of the coming Premium Live Events, like Money in the Bank or SummerSlam.

Cena could pursue the United States Championship for the sixth time in his career

Cena is very familiar with the United States Championship. He has won it five times, revealing his excitement about being the US Champion much later in his run.

However, the last time he won the title was September 20, 2015, and a match against Logan Paul could be the perfect opportunity for him to build some momentum if he is to have one final run in WWE.

Cena could challenge and defeat Logan Paul and keep the title for some time before shifting his attention to the bigger picture and pursuing a shot at either the World Heavyweight Championship or the Undisputed WWE Championship to set the record.