WWE News: John Cena’s Latest Instagram Post Sparking ‘Royal Rumble’ Rumors
The bio on John Cena’s Instagram profile explicitly reads, “These images will be posted without explanation, for your interpretation. Enjoy.”
His latest post on Instagram is evoking flashbacks to last year, when current WWE champion AJ Styles was a free agent and the Royal Rumble was rapidly approaching.
That’s right, just three days after New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) superstar Kenny Omega announced on Twitter that he’s stepping away from Japan to reassess his future, Cena posts a photo of “The Cleaner.”
At NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 11 this past Wednesday, Omega faced Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in a match that was rated as one of the best in recent history. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter rated the match six stars out of the usual five-star system. Only one other match in history received a six-star rating from Meltzer, a 1989 untelevised bout between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat.
WWE superstars such as Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, and Natalya all praised the main event and NJPW WK 11 as a whole. Omega himself took to Twitter after the event to say that his match with Okada was the best stage to show the world his vision of professional wrestling.
Omega made similar comments to the Inquisitr nearly a year ago when he was a WWE prospect in the company’s then-developmental system, Deep South Wrestling.
“That’s one thing Deep South Wrestling taught me, which was the WWE developmental at the time when I was there. Some people thrive being programmed, some people need to have a direction told to them, some people need to be created from the ground up to even stand a chance in this world. But for people like me, I really need my own creative freedom and be in an environment where that can I flourish.”
On January 20 of last year, Cena posted this image of Styles — he would go on to make his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble on January 24, 2016.
In Omega’s case, WWE is not looking like a possible destination. In an interview with Sports Illustrated prior to this past Wednesday’s match, Omega blasted the WWE and wrestlers in the company who do not use their stage to improve themselves.
“Sometimes I feel like there is no hope,” Omega said. “There are guys that will get good real quick, and then they’ll stay that way — they’re happy to have a job and they’re scared to lose that job on top of it. Everyone is afraid to stand out, everyone is afraid to make history. They just want to be a normal motherf***er in wrestling, being a wrestler, collecting a paycheck, then telling their friends, ‘I’m a ‘WWE Superstar.’ For me, that’s the worst s**t ever.”
Omega has said in the past that interactions with current WWE people have been positive, and that he essentially has an open invitation to join the NXT roster whenever he wants.
“I have spoken with the heads at NXT, and they’ve all said, ‘If you want to come down, let us know – the second your visa is in place, you’re on TV the next week,” Omega said in a separate Sports Illustrated interview.
Omega went on to say he’s appreciative of that offer, but was focused on NJPW at the time. However, those recent remarks may be telling of his current mindset with WWE.
In comparison to last year, Styles posted a picture of Cena on Instagram in response. Perhaps, these next few weeks, Omega’s Instagram page will be monitored for hints.
[Featured Image by Rob Kim/Getty Images]
