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What’s the Story?
John Cena has been billed as a free agent since the 4th of July edition of SmackDown and fans have been wondering when he will make his appearance on the flagship show.
The official twitter account of the Barclays Center may have ended the mystery surrounding Cena's return to Raw by advertising his appearance on the Monday Night Raw after SummerSlam.
In case you didn’t know...
Prior to his return to the WWE, Cena was being advertised as a free agent who would wrestle on both Raw and SmackDown.
Upon his return to SmackDown, he confirmed his status as a free agent who could appear on both shows, but primarily appeared on SmackDown television and house shows.
In the weeks leading up to SummerSlam, Cena was advertised for more Raw dates while the last advertisement for Cena's appearance on SmackDown was the August 15, 2017, edition of SmackDown; the Go-Home show for SummerSlam.
The Heart of the Matter
Cena’s free agent status made some fans believe that the Face That Runs the Place would be appearing on both shows throughout the coming weeks.
However, Cena’s advertised appearance on the August 21, 2017, edition of Raw could be a sign that the WWE creative team see more use for him in a fresher environment.
SmackDown’s roster is full of wrestlers who Cena has feuded with before, so moving Cena to Raw may be done to ensure that he has fresh feuds to work with.
Cena staying on Raw would free him up to have confrontations with bigger stars like Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Finn Bálor, Samoa Joe, and others.
What’s next?
Cena is advertised to have a match with Samoa Joe at an upcoming house show, so that could be his first program when he returns to Monday Night Raw.
As far as his feud with Mr Money in the Bank Baron Corbin goes, the fact that Cena is more than likely leaving SmackDown and the tendency of WWE to book MITB winners weak leaves a sense of unpredictability surrounding their upcoming SummerSlam match.
Author’s take
SummerSlam seems like the last time Cena will be referred to as a SmackDown superstar. Whether this will have an impact on Raw’s viewership remains to be seen.
