What’s the story?
The Face that Runs the Place has been absent from WWE television since WrestleMania 33, but his return date has been officially announced. On the latest episode of SmackDown Live, John Cena was advertised to return to WWE programming on the 4th of July.
In case you didn’t know...
Cena was drafted to SmackDown Live in 2016 and would come and go on a more part-time schedule. During 2016, Cena lost to Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles in singles matches but would win his 16th World Championship at the 2017 Royal Rumble.
The last time he was seen on WWE programming was WrestleMania 33 when he proposed to Nikki Bella following their mixed tag team match against The Miz and Maryse.
The heart of the matter
In May, rumour had it that Cena would return to WWE programming in July to help with the decline in ratings and that rumour has been confirmed.
When Jinder Mahal became the WWE Champion, many fans predicted that Cena would challenge Mahal for the championship so the company could match The Maharaja’s anti-America gimmick with the patriotic aspect of Cena’s character.
Regarding the decline in ratings, Monday Night Raw took place on the 4th of July in 2016 and resulted in one of the worst ratings of the past 20 years at 1.87. Cena’s return to TV after extended absences has resulted in increased viewership for WWE TV shows, so The Face of WWE’s return to on the 4th of July is likely a strategic manoeuvre on WWE’s part.
What’s next?
Tune in 4 weeks from now to see the Face that Runs the Place return to SmackDown Live and make his intentions known. His return on the 4th of July could lead to a big championship match being announced for an upcoming pay-per-view.
Author’s take
With John Cena set to return to TV, expect the WWE Championship picture to get a lot more interesting; especially if no one defeats Mahal for the title before Cena’s return.
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