When John Cena returned to the WWE network after a lengthy hiatus, he came right back to the top of the card. Cena’s first match back, after a break to make movies, was against AJ Styles at the 2017 Royal Rumble . That match saw Cena equal Ric Flair’s record of 16 world championship titles. Cena’s hold on the title did not last for long, he lost it to Bray Wyatt at the Elimination Chamber just two-weeks later.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , some in the WWE universe believed that Cena was only given such a high-profile match because of his connections to the McMahon family through Nikki Bella. SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan is Bella’s step-father. To be fair, Cena and Bella didn’t exactly receive top-billing at WrestleMania 33. One would have expected the 16-time world champion to be involved in a high-profile bout. The fans certainly wanted to see Cena face The Undertaker.
It had been widely predicted that The Undertaker and Cena would meet to split the tie between them before The Undertaker headed off to a well-deserved retirement. Cena and the Taker have met five-times, they have two wins each, and there was one “no result.” Rumors suggested that Vince McMahon had signed off on John Cena vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33, but cooled on the idea when it became clear that The Undertaker needed to retire.
The result was a headline match between The Undertaker and the heir apparent, Roman Reigns. Cena meanwhile was relegated to the status of warm-up act, teaming up with Nikki Bella for a low-level tag match against The Miz and Maryse. For the record, the WWE website reports that Cena and Bella won their match, but their performance was eclipsed by a match of a different sort.
John Cena Proposes Marriage To Nikki Bella At WrestleMania 33
At the end of their match, Nikki did a great job of acting surprised when Cena went down on one knee in the ring to propose marriage. The delighted bride-to-be quickly accepted the proposal, so Cena and Bella are now engaged. Of course, the Cenation will wish Cena and Bella every happiness for their forthcoming nuptials, but you can’t help but feel that the WWE missed a golden opportunity to promote a John Cena heel turn.
The WWE universe has been awash with Cena heel turn rumors for months. As Comic Book reported, it is believed that Vince McMahon had signed off on a Cena heel turn as far back as 2012. Stephanie McMahon also recently revealed that she had been pushing for a Cena heel turn, but again that has not happened. Imagine if Cena had hyped a marriage proposal to Bella, then lost the match with The Miz and Maryse, and dumped Bella, blaming her for the defeat. That would have completed a heel turn of epic proportions, and probably even upstaged The Undertaker’s retirement.
Most would have accepted that Cena will continue to be “the face that runs the place,” but Roman Reigns victory over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 suggests that Cena is set to lose that title.
Let’s remember that The Undertaker assumed his position as the WWE’s top dog, when he retired Ric Flair, and then Shawn Michaels. By retiring The Undertaker, Roman Reigns has been escalated to the very top of the WWE tree, the “Big Dog” is now the top dog.
If Reigns is now the face of the WWE network, and face it, McMahon has been planning for that for over five years, where does that leave John Cena? The sad truth is that Cena’s lowly billing on the WrestleMania 33 card probably reflects his position on the WWE network. Cena is now a part-time performer, and according to What Culture, Cena is heading back to Hollywood.
John Cena has apparently landed a major role landed a major role, alongside Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Mel Gibson and John Lithgow, in the sequel to his 2015 movie Daddy’s Home. Cena had a minor role in the original, but he is believed to “figure prominently in the sequel storyline.”
That means the WWE network will have to put any proposals for future Cena engagements on hold, as Cena’s TV and movie work will mean another lengthy hiatus. Of course, Cena could still complete a heel turn when he returns to WWE. Jilting Nikki Bella at the altar would do it, but we will just have to wait to see how the WWE sees John Cena’s long-term future.
[Featured Image by WWE]
