At WWE Survivor Series , John Cena made a brief return to WWE to join Team SmackDown in the Men’s 5 on 5 Elimination Match. Cena was able to eliminate Samoa Joe after an Attitude Adjustment, but the WWE Universe was expecting him to have a bigger role because he was eliminated shortly after by Kurt Angle. It’s unclear when John Cena will be returning, but a lot of people still want to know why his role was so limited.
It was reported that WWE officials asked Cena to return for Survivor Series after SmackDown ratings had dropped well below their expectations and his involvement ensured good ticket sales and PPV buys for the event. Despite John Cena’s involvement failing to live up to the expectations of the fans, the reason why his role was limited was WWE officials wanted to focus on new storylines that did not involve John Cena at all.
In fact, Braun Strowman was the main focus heading into the match at WWE Survivor Series . He ended up eliminating 3 out of 5 members of Team SmackDown , which specifically put over his Running Powerslam, and started the tension between Strowman and HHH for a match at the WWE Royal Rumble . John Cena’s involvement was about adding hype to the match and generating as much buzz as possible before the event.
John Cena isn’t being advertised for another WWE event until the live event at Madison Square Garden the day after Christmas. Originally, he was scheduled to face Samoa Joe. Joe’s elimination at the hands of Cena would have made much more sense, but WWE officials decided to push forward the rematch between John Cena and Roman Reigns for the event. However, their feud isn’t expected to continue on WWE television.
It’s no secret that John Cena’s outside projects have taken priority over his wrestling career, especially over the past couple of years. He knows his days are numbered inside the squared circle, but John Cena is still a great performer and has been extremely useful whenever WWE officials need his help to sell a show or put over someone new on WWE programming. With the ‘ Royal Rumble ‘ coming up, Cena’s return is imminent.
[Featured Image by WWE]
