WWE Makes Somewhat Shocking Announcement Before John Cena’s Return

John Cena’s return to WWE will be more than just a one-off appearance.

WWE announced Monday that Cena will appear on “SmackDown” for seven consecutive weeks beginning Friday, Sept. 15.

This somewhat surprising announcement comes one week after WWE revealed Cena would appear on the Sept. 1 episode of “SmackDown” as well as the “WWE Superstar Spectacle” live event at GMC Balayogi Indoor Stadium in India on Friday, Sept. 8.

Here is Cena’s full “SmackDown” appearance schedule, per WWE:

— Friday, Sept. 1 — Hershey, Pa. — The Giant Center
— Friday, Sept. 15 — Denver — Ball Arena
— Friday, Sept. 22 — Glendale, Ariz. — Desert Diamond Arena
— Friday, Sept. 29 — Sacramento, Calif. — Golden 1 Center
— Friday, Oct. 6 — St. Louis — Enterprise Center
— Friday, Oct. 13 — Tulsa, Okla. — BOK Center
— Friday, Oct. 20 — San Antonio — AT&T Center
— Friday, Oct. 27 — Milwaukee — Fiserv Forum

It’s unclear what exactly WWE has planned for Cena’s upcoming run with the company. Maybe he’ll appear at a premium live event — Fastlane is scheduled for Oct. 7 in Indiana and Survivor Series is scheduled for Nov. 25 in Chicago — or maybe the hope simply is that he’ll provide a quick ratings boost on Friday nights, especially if Roman Reigns takes some time off after successfully defending the undisputed WWE universal championship at SummerSlam. WWE also could use the two-month stretch to start planting the seeds for a match at WrestleMania 40, scheduled for April 6 and April 7 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Cena’s schedule presumably opened up once the SAG-AFTRA strike began. And WWE seems to be using his availability (and undeniable passion for the wrestling business) to its advantage, a potentially smart move while navigating a fall calendar that includes the return of football and the Major League Baseball postseason/World Series.

WWE also announced Monday that Cena, in partnership with Make-A-Wish, will host children and their families in each of the eight cities involved in his “SmackDown” return tour to experience a WWE event in person.