John Cena was a staple of WrestleMania for nearly two decades.
He didn't appear at WrestleMania 37 in 2021 or WrestleMania 38 in 2022, though, and it's still not confirmed whether he'll be involved with WrestleMania 39 this April. Such is life for a former full-time wrestler who's since become a Hollywood star. Just ask Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
That said, the smart money is on Cena returning to The Grandest Stage of Them All this year. Not only is the annual event being held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the tagline, "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood." Cena also returned to WWE television last Friday, setting up a tag-team match for the Dec. 30 episode of SmackDown alongside Kevin Owens against Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.
WWE could use the upcoming clash to start building a 'Mania storyline that includes Cena, who last competed inside the squared circle against Reigns at SummerSlam in August 2021.
This, of course, raises the question: Who might Cena face at The Show of Shows?
Let's start with the obvious, based on the upcoming SmackDown match, and work toward a few upstart candidates who could use the extra Cena popularity boost.
Roman Reigns
The presumption has been that WWE is working toward a Roman Reigns vs. The Rock main event. It makes all the sense in the world, with Reigns proclaiming himself the "Head of the Table" and the "Tribal Chief" as part of the Bloodline faction, and The Rock, his real-life cousin, being the biggest star in Hollywood. But what if The Rock can't make it work due to scheduling obligations?
We've already seen Reigns vs. Cena somewhat recently, so there's not a ton of surface intrigue there. But, at the end of the day, it's still John Cena. He still moves the needle more than most. We shouldn't completely rule out this scenario, though it would require a creative buildup from WWE. And what if Reigns faced both The Rock and Cena -- either in a triple-threat match or on each night of the two-night spectacle?
Sami Zayn
Zayn is white-hot right now, as the Bloodline's "Honorary Uce" and a total wild card in the compelling angle that also includes The Usos and Solo Sikoa. Him feuding with Cena would only brighten his star, thrusting him into the mainstream, while creating an extra layer of intrigue to the best storyline WWE has produced in years. Zayn is excellent on the mic. Cena is legendary in that regard. The back-and-forth promos would be electric. Same for the match.
Solo Sikoa
Speaking of Sikoa, the Bloodline's resident enforcer has been lurking as an unpredictable destructive force. He's a man of few words, letting his physicality do the talking, and that actually would make for an interesting contrast amid the buildup. If WWE wants to make a star of Sikoa, having him feud with (and beat) Cena would accomplish that in a big, big way.
Kevin Owens
Cena is about to team with Owens, who's also one of WWE's hottest babyfaces right now. So, from that standpoint, it makes very little sense. But we've seen Owens seamlessly flip between face and heel over the years. A falling-out on SmackDown, in theory, could lay the foundation for another high-profile WrestleMania feud involving Owens, who squared off with Stone Cold Steve Austin at last year's event.
Austin Theory
This theory (yes, the pun is intended) has long been speculated, with WWE seemingly planting a few seeds along the way while aggressively pushing the current United States champion. It's unclear whether new chief content officer Paul Levesque, also known as Triple H, is as high on Theory as former WWE chairman/CEO Vince McMahon was, but there's clearly potential there. Facing Cena, who made the US championship open challenge must-see TV during his heyday, would slap a rocket to Theory's back.
LA Knight
Total shot in the dark here, with LA Knight currently locked in an angle with Bray Wyatt. But LA Knight has been awesome in that whole ordeal, oftentimes carrying the mysterious storyline with his mic work as Wyatt talks in tongues about his inner turmoil. This, like with Sikoa and Theory, would represent a commitment to pushing a fresh star. LA Knight sure seems to have an "it" factor that's gaining steam.
