WWE News: Backstage Update On The Spirit Squad’s Future & Issues With John Cena

Throughout the early spring and summer when news surfaced that the WWE was re-instituting the brand extension, many names surfaced in regards to a return to the company. Past stars like MVP, Carlito, John Morrison, Rey Mysterio and Jeff Hardy were continually brought up, but the Spirit Squad never seemed to be among them.

Now, none of those names mentioned have made their way back. The WWE needed bodies to fill out two distinct rosters and the only ones to agree to deals turned out to be Shelton Benjamin, Rhyno, Curt Hawkins, Jinder Mahal, Brian Kendrick and perhaps the biggest long shot of them all, Goldberg.

But then last month, the Spirit Squad (a modified version anyway) returned to the WWE to insert themselves in arguably the most compelling program on SmackDown between Dolph Ziggler and The Miz. Ziggler, of course, debuted in the WWE as one of the original five members of the Spirit Squad back in 2006. The Squad’s inclusion was initially done as another way to look back on Ziggler’s career, one that he was putting on the line at No Mercy.

Now, however, it appears the gig may be more than a one-time deal. Cageside Seats is reporting that WWE officials have been impressed by the returns of Kenny and Mikey and may be negotiating a full-time deal for the duo. The two were used this week on SmackDown to put over American Alpha so that Jordan & Gable could qualify for the Survivor Series tag team, but it remains to be seen how they’ll be used going forward.

It was evident immediately following the brand split that there was a serious lack of depth in certain divisions on each show. The tag team division was one glaring example on Tuesday nights. The oddball pairing of Heath Slater and Rhyno has been a temporary relief as it seemed only The Usos and American Alpha were getting any significant treatment. The Headbangers have been booked twice to help put over teams, and the Spirit Squad could do that or more.

But the other interesting element in a potential full-time return for the Spirit Squad is the dynamic between Kenny (Ken Doane) and John Cena. During his first run in WWE, Doane was engaged to former female superstar, Mickie James. However, it was revealed that James cheated on Doane with John Cena. Wrestling Inc recounted the (series of) tweets that Doane posted back in 2012 about what happened when the love triangle leaked out.

“She was googling mickie james and john cena dating. I asked why, she broke down crying. Then I heard more from others. She was checking to see if it was on the net yet. I feel bad for magnus. Nice guy dating a…. well u know… He was messing with MJ so I got moved to Smackdown so they could further mess. I jobbed, got fired. When MJ got crazy because he wouldn’t date her, she then got fired. Weird biz huh? She got title, on TV show while with him. Serves her well though… She wanted to date him, he said no, she flipped out backstage which led to her demise… When they were together she got the title, TV roles. When he dumped her she became Piggy James, then fired.”

Ironically, Kenny and Mikey of the Spirit Squad were brought back to the SmackDown brand, the same show Cena was drafted to during the brand extension in July. Now, Cena has been away from the WWE since No Mercy filming the second season of American Grit, but eventually he’ll be back. However, the report states that there is no heat anymore between the two superstars, citing that the two are in completely different places in their lives as compared to back then.

James, of course, is also returning to the WWE in some capacity. She’ll be facing NXT Women’s Champion, Asuka later this month at the NXT Takeover: Toronto special the night before Survivor Series. It’s not clear whether she’ll be returning full-time, but it should be noted that she is taking the spot once reserved for Trish Stratus who was set to come back for an extended run until she learned she was pregnant.

[Featured Image by WWE]