WWE SmackDown: 3 possible angles for John Cena’s return

War of words with Roman Reigns

Remember when Roman Reigns defeated John Cena at No Mercy 2017? I still have to blink twice when I watch clips of their back-and-forth promos or the match itself, because it was surreal to see a match between two men who have been WWE’s absolute top stars on a “B” Pay Per View. Then again, Dolph Ziggler put his career on the line in a Feud of the Year blow-off with The Miz at No Mercy, so maybe the PPV has more going for it than a chilling theme song.

Reigns and Cena haven’t crossed paths in the two-plus-years since their amazing rivalry in the Fall of 2017, which set in motion a mid-life crisis of sorts for the Cena character. (Remember how dejected he looked when he was eliminated from the Chamber in February? Or how desperately he kept begging The Undertaker for a spot on the WrestleMania card week after week on Raw?)

The year 2020 is going to be a massive one for Reigns. Regardless of who he faces at WrestleMania 36, he’s winning the Universal Title that he never lost. And for as much as Drew McIntyre would be a great candidate to win in the main event over WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, I still think Reigns gets his crowning moment to close the show.

But what if Cena has a role to play in this? If Reigns is about to have a massive coronation at WrestleMania 36 in Tampa, shouldn’t Cena play a role in the build? After all, he interacted with Becky Lynch before she was the hero of the WrestleMania 35 main event, so Cena could interact with the top babyface on SmackDown who is headed for a big ‘Mania moment. And the history between the two of them should only make a potential promo between them even more awesome.

Expect to see Cena and Reigns trade friendly barbs with callbacks to their old feud before Cena “gets serious” and verbally puts over Reigns in the strongest way possible. That is, if this all happens.