John Cena Not Being Written Off TV at Raw or Hell in a Cell is Wrong Decision

By Rob Wolkenbrod | Oct 28, 2015

We take a look at the issue of WWE not “writing off” John Cena from TV, despite reports coming out that informed people of what he’ll be doing during his time off.

Weeks before WWE Hell in a Cell, reports came out that John Cena would be missed time from the Raw after the show to the holiday tour in the end of December. Then it started to become clear what Cena would be doing, as rumors started to swirl about him hosting a fitness reality show. All this made it likely that Mr. HLR would drop the WWE United States Championship at Hell in a Cell on Oct. 25.

Well, Cena would drop the title to the returning Alberto Del Rio, who was away from the company for a year following a backstage altercation with a WWE employee. Cena lost clean in just over 7 minutes, and that was it. No post-match attack or anything to write him off.

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Cena was not advertised for Raw the next night, but it was never confirmed he wouldn’t be there. If you didn’t see the show, he did not appear during the 3 hours. The name “John Cena” was barely mentioned either.

So it leads to this question: why wasn’t Cena written off TV?

We live in an era where kayfabe is just about dead—some argue it already is. Most fans have a smart phone, computer or tablet and keep themselves up-to-date with the latest news and rumors in wrestling. By now, they had to of seen that Cena will be off TV for a few months.

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WWE must know by now that all these reports have come out about Cena’s status. They stay on top of social media and what’s being said about their product (Daniel Bryan push, Divas Revolution, etc.). They will also contact sites like ours to tell us to include a statement about a report that came out.

So what could this mean?

WWE must not feel the need to write off Cena because of what we know. Why place him in an injury storyline if fans know what’s really going on?

Unfortunately, that’s where WWE is wrong. As much as kayfabe may be dead, it’s still the company’s job to try to keep it alive. That means properly writing Cena off with an attack to set up a feud when he comes back.

Having someone “injure” Cena would also give that Superstar a huge rub. Not doing it with Alberto Del Rio at Hell in a Cell can be given a pass since they’ve feuded multiple times before. However, why not bring Cena onto Raw and have someone like Braun Strowman, who’s being built as a monster heel, take him out? Let them have a mini-feud that plays out into Royal Rumble and end it there. Then Cena could go into a WrestleMania feud with someone like The Undertaker.

A counter argument could be made that Cena is an “exception.” He’s the face of the company and doesn’t need to be “injured” like others to be sent off TV. However, that sends a bad message. Shouldn’t the Superstars be treated the same in situations like this?

We’re now set for 2 months of no John Cena. He’ll be back by the end of December like nothing ever happened and immediately insert his name into the 2016 Royal Rumble. We’ll chant “John Cena sucks” and beg for the US Open Challenge to return when he steps into the ring.

You can follow Rob Wolkenbrod on Twitter @RealRobWolkey. If you would like to send a report from a live event, email us at robert.wolkenbrod@gmail.com.

Next: WWE Hell in a Cell 2015 Review

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