John Cena: ‘I don’t know if I’m going to make it this year’
WrestleMania season is upon us and just like years past, fans can expect the WWE to involve superstars from the past in the mega show. However, it’s becoming more difficult for the promotion to bring back some of its biggest names. John Cena is the latest individual to say that he’s most likely out of WrestleMania season, pointing toward other projects on the horizon.
“I don’t know if I’m going to make it this year,” Cena said while appearing on The Ellen Show.” And that’s a good conundrum to have because there’s a lot of good opportunity coming up, which I would love to take and if all those things line up, I don’t know if I’ll be able to make WrestleMania.”
Cena is one of the biggest stars in recent memory for the WWE. That stardom has led him into other projects, such as the well-reviewed series, The Peacemaker, which is set to debut on HBO Max. Still, he’s made it a point to appear for the WWE annually, having brief runs with the company at least once a year.
2018 was the last “full” year where he was active on the roster and he only appeared once during 2020 as a part of WrestleMania 36. Cena had a run in 2021 where he took on Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal title at SummerSlam, which was his last televised match for the company.
This highlights a growing issue within the WWE where the company has fewer big names to turn to for huge moments. The Rock has shown a disinterest in returning to television, even though fans are clamoring for a match between him and Reigns.
If Cena were available, his star power would help fill a significant role. He could help build value in one of the many “young” names that WWE is trying to elevate. Individuals such as a Bron Breakker or Carmelo Hayes could greatly benefit from any type of interaction with the multiple-time champion. Or WWE could create buzz around a potential return to a rivalry match such as that with AJ Styles, which helped introduce Styles to the WWE Universe. The opportunities are there, unfortunately, Cena’s availability is not.
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John Cena is another name that seems to be out of WrestleMania season, adding another blow to WWE’s star power for the big annual event. Fans should expect to see more of this trend as WWE continues to struggle with making new stars and some of the bigger names throughout history decide against one last run.