Why was John Cena not on WWE SmackDown this week? Find out where the star was

John Cena made his triumphant return to WWE SmackDown on September 1, 2023. However, The Cenation Leader didn’t appear on the latest edition of the blue brand. Fans might be wondering about the whereabouts of the 16-time world champion.

John Cena didn’t appear on WWE SmackDown this week because he wrestled at Superstar Spectacle in India on September 8, 2023. WWE’s franchise player teamed up with World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins in a successful outing against Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci.

Hours before the match, Sportskeeda’s Riju Dasgupta asked Cena if he saw Roman Reigns as his successor in WWE. The wrestler-turned-actor had a near-instantaneous reply to the question.

"In my perspective I think Roman Reigns is the greatest of all time," Cena replied.

Cena will return to the blue brand next week. The top star has already been announced for multiple SmackDown appearances amid the WGA strike, with the first set for September 15 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

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Grayson Waller to host John Cena next week on WWE SmackDown

It seems that Grayson Waller has not learned his lesson from the beating he took at the hands of Cena at WWE Money in the Bank in London. The arrogant Aussie is determined to give Cena the Grayson Waller rub on the blue brand.

Waller revealed during Austin Theory’s match against LA Knight this week on SmackDown that he’ll host John Cena at The Grayson Waller Effect next week. Waller had previously hosted Cody Rhodes on his talk show at WWE Payback.

WWE made the talk show segment official during SmackDown tonight. We’ll have to wait and see how Waller’s interview with Cena goes down next Friday on the blue brand. Plus, LA Knight will battle The Miz in a rematch from their encounter at Payback.

What are your predictions for the show? Let us know in the comments section below!