John Cena’s coming back. On the Fourth of July, no less. And The Cenation Leader’s first match since he and Nikki Bella knocked off Miz & Maryse and got engaged at WrestleMania 33 is already a subject of rampant speculation.
6. Roman Reigns:
We’ll start with the obvious. Since defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania, Roman Reignshas assumed command of The Phenom’s dominion, touting himself as the standard-bearer of WWE. But couldn’t Cena lay some claim to that spot? Shockingly, Cena and Reigns have never met in one-on-one action. It could be time to change that. At least one of them is already game:
5. Samoa Joe
These two actually started out together and share a history, but divergent career paths kept John Cena and Samoa Joe apart until the latter finally arrived in WWE earlier this year as part of the Raw roster
4. Fin Balor:
By our count, John Cena and Finn Bálor have only once been on camera together: when Cena congratulated the Irishman on winning his first NXT Championship in a brief encounter at Beast in the East in July 2015. Since then, of course, both men have made history: Bálor by becoming the first-ever Universal Champion, and Cena by tying Ric Flair’s record for 16 World Championships.
3. Shinsuke Nakamura
Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura were on passing ships in the post-WrestleMania frenzy; The King of Strong Style debuted on SmackDown LIVE right as the 16-time World Champion was making his temporary exit
2. Braun Strowman
John Cena and Braun Strowman have crossed paths during the behemoth’s time in The Wyatt Family, but ever since The Monster Among Men’s ascendance as a singles competitor, Cena has been an arm’s length away on SmackDown LIVE, and the two have yet to meet.
1. Jinder Mahal
Could Cena’s July 4 return to SmackDown LIVE be specifically to challenge The Modern-Day Maharaja for World Title No. 17 on his first night back? A singles match between The Cenation Leader and Mahal has never happened, and a lot has changed since Cena floated the idea of Mahal challenging him for the WWE Title at SummerSlam 2013
