Unfortunate news for John Cena fans ahead of WWE Saturday Night's Main Event

John Cena has been on fire since he turned heel earlier this year. The Cenation Leader became a historic 17-time WWE world champion, breaking a tie with Ric Flair for the most title wins. The Last Real Champion’s latest triumph was against arch-rival Randy Orton at Backlash 2025. However, following his big win, there’s an unfortunate update regarding Cena that might upset his fans.

After beating Orton using whatever means necessary, including a low blow and a shot to the head with the title, John Cena vowed to face a real challenger and left the arena. Fans are in anticipation of finding out what’s next for the Last Real Champion.

John Cena has been announced to appear at the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event on May 24. He is also featured prominently on the poster. Surprisingly, Cena has not been announced for any weekly shows before SNME, raising a big question among his fans regarding his status before the premium live event.

It’s not yet known what his role at the event is and if he doesn't show up before that on the weekly shows, it would be quite difficult to craft an entertaining storyline that could lead to a match at the PLE.

Expand Tweet

The Franchise Player is directly advertised for the May 30, 2025, edition of SmackDown at Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN. With less than 25 dates left before he walks away, WWE will certainly look to save the majority of those for the rest of the year.

WWE legend reveals the reason why John Cena turning heel feels dull

While speaking on Busted Open Radio, former legendary tag team champion Bully Ray defended John Cena’s heel turn and expressed that he felt that The Rock’s absence at WrestleMania 41 left a giant hole, leaving fans still wondering why The Final Boss and The Cenation Leader were together at the first place.

“The reason why the John Cena heel turn feels like it didn't live up to its expectations is because we didn't get the conduit and the conjunction between The Rock. Without Rock being there, it leaves a giant hole in this whole thing, as to why John and The Rock were in the same place at the same time at Elimination Chamber,” said Bully Ray.

It will be interesting to see what's next for John Cena when he returns to WWE TV, and who he could face at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

About the author

Nayan is a WWE News and Features writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. After completing his bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Poddar International, he began working as a YouTube script writer. Nayan then transitioned to Pinkvilla as a combat sports writer. He gained valuable experience there before finally coming under the banner of Sportskeeda.

Within 1.5 years, Nayan has written over 1,000 articles, interviewed MFN promotion owners, and conducted a Twitter campaign that gained over 50k retweets and more. He puts fact-checking and mindful journalism above everything by applying a three-check method, where he tries to verify reports from reliable sources and cross-check whether other major publications have covered them.

Looking back at his association with pro wrestling, Nayan recalls being hooked on the sport after watching Shawn Michael vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 24. Since then, the product has been an inseparable part of his life.

Apart from The Heartbreak Kid being Nayan's favorite wrestler for his confidence and charisma, he is also a fan of Brock Lesnar due to The Beast's "work speaks louder than words" attitude.

Nayan can be found performing mixed martial arts and reading true crime in his free time.

Know More

Edited by Harish Raj S