John Cena has been a regular presence on WWE programming for a decade and a half. In that time he has won countless championships, main evented endless PPVs and especially in recent years, he’s put on a great show while doing it.
But at 40 years old and his larger-than-life presence as a celebrity outside of the world of wrestling, it’s not surprising that he isn’t around as often anymore. And it’s not necessarily because he can’t do what he once did — longer tenured superstars like the Undertaker actually put on their best matches well into their 40s — it’s just that he doesn’t have to.
Thus, due to his loyalty to the company and his celebrity presence, he is granted periods of leave. After being with them for so long, this is completely valid and doesn’t necessarily need explained. However, his impending return has really left us asking a lot of questions.
When WWE brought back the brand division, Cena was moved to SmackDown LIVE where he often took part in some of the most integral storylines before sporadic but brief departures. Of course, his return is hyped up weeks in advance in order to make sure we all tune in to see it. But for some inexplicable reason, the company is marketing his current return on the fact that he is suddenly a “free agent”. Their suggested reasoning for this is due to the fact that he wasn’t present for the Superstar Shakeup. But this is a flawed logic that doesn’t make any sense. Moreover, it could cause issues for the company.
With all that in mind, let’s take a look at why John Cena’s “Free Agent” status doesn’t make any sense.
Not Every Superstar Was Placed Somewhere During The Shakeup
While it makes sense that every superstar on both the RAW and SmackDown LIVE rosters was up for grabs during the Superstar Shakeup, not all of them had to be placed somewhere — unlike the original draft last Summer. In fact, when you think of the size of the entire roster, the Shakeup didn’t impact that many people.
For this reason alone, there was absolutely no reason to assume that John Cena wasn’t just one of the many unaffected superstars. Just because he was absent for the Shakeup, that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t eligible. And even if he wasn’t eligible, it would have been normal to assume that he was just one of the many who were remaining on the same.
Thus, WWE’s logic here is deeply flawed, and it really doesn’t make any sense. The fact that Cena wasn’t moved shouldn’t automatically make him a free agent — it should mean that he stays on the blue brand.
Moving Cena To RAW Would Be A Major Mistake
With his inexplicable free agent status comes the inevitable question: which show will John Cena end up on? While he is returning on SmackDown, WWE have been teasing us with his status, reminding us that he doesn’t belong to any show. And whenever something like this happens, there’s always a strong possibility that the superstar in question is about to jump ship. So we have to wonder: is Cena returning to SmackDown just to announce that he’s moving to RAW?
Moving John Cena to RAW would be a major mistake, simply because he’s been thriving on SmackDown lately. For nearly a decade, Cena has had the infamous reputation as the supposedly limited main-eventer who buries everyone he steps in the ring with. WWE has gone out of their way to rid him of that reputation in recent years, with a lot of success. By taking him out of the main event picture, having him chase mid-card championships and perhaps most importantly: allowing him to lose matches. This new Cena thrived on the “land of opportunity” known as SmackDown.
Despite stronger storylines, increasing ratings and acclaim from fans, WWE still refuses to see SmackDown as their strongest show and continues to plug the repetitive RAW as their flagship program. Cena’s presence on the blue brand not only ensured that viewers would tune in to see the younger, talented superstars compete; it also gave the show an honorary “A show” feel. Even if the company doesn’t see it as an equal, Cena’s presence certainly help a lot of fans see it that way.
But moving him back to RAW would completely undo all the good they have done to his character in recent years, not to mention all that good he has done for SmackDown LIVE. John Cena would add little value to the supposed “A show” that’s already over-stacked with regular main-eventers. Moreover, featuring him in RAW main events with regular stars that a lot of the WWE Universe has grown tired of would risk fans turning on Cena all over again.
John Cena’s sudden free agent status is definitely puzzling. Not only does the logic behind it seem flawed, it also doesn’t make any sense to move the WWE icon to RAW either, especially when he has so much more left to give the blue brand.
What do you think about John Cena’s sudden free agent status? Sound off in the comments below!
