No pun intended with respect to his famous catchphrase, but WWE fans haven’t been able to see John Cena much this year aside from his acting roles — and his next match may not be until WrestleMania next year.
Cena made a much-publicized (and good for WWE’s ratings) appearance on the June 27 episode of Raw to celebrate 20 years in WWE. He made it clear during that show that he’d return to the ring at some point, and that “it ain’t just gonna be one.”
The big question, of course, is when that might happen. Cena is as in demand as ever, particularly since his DC Comics HBO Max series, “Peacemaker,” was a big enough hit to warrant a second season. He’ll soon be occupied with filming, though it hasn’t started yet.
There was some hope that Cena would be at SummerSlam at the end of this month, especially since he and Theory had been teasing a program on social media. That seems less likely now with Theory winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, even though he could certainly face Cena if something comes together over the next few weeks and still cash in his contract later that night.
But according to Fightful Select, it’s possible Cena’s next match won’t be until WrestleMania 39, which is set for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 1-2, 2023. The outlet’s most recent sources told them Vince McMahon was traveling to Vancouver next week, potentially to speak with Cena, and that “there were rumblings that they were going to try to nail him down for a WrestleMania match.”
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Cena hasn’t wrestled at all in 2022, and is approaching the one-year anniversary of his last televised bout, which took place last Aug. 21 at SummerSlam. Almost incredibly for a performer who has meant so much to WWE for the last two decades, he’s only wrestled two matches broadcast to the world in the 2020s.
That comes with the territory for aging stars who transition on to other things, but still feels weird to accept for Cena. Here’s hoping that for his many fans, he finds his way back into the ring sometime sooner than WrestleMania, or it’ll be another nine months of waiting.