The WWE’s forthcoming Premium Live Event, Fastlane, will be no less than a roller coaster ride for fans. Even though the majority of the card is yet to be official, one fight has seemingly piqued the interest of hardcore wrestling enthusiasts. Yes! It is John Cena’s upcoming tag team battle against The Bloodline. In the current scenario, Cena stands out as a big name that the fans are excited to see at the PLE. In fact, the 16-time World Champion is making his longest return in the past few years. However, Cena is not the only standout name gaining the attention of fans; his tag team partner, LA Knight, has also become a hot topic lately.
With the attention now shifting to Cena, there were plenty of discussions among the fans concerning his return. How will he start the proceedings? Who would Cena face in his current run? These are a few of the crucial questions that made fans dubious about the prospect of John Cena making his return. However, staying tuned with the past few episodes of SmackDown, many may know that Cena’s next storyline is with The Bloodline.
Speaking of his kayfabe, in the here and now, there were many potential faces that might have made Cena’s run even more gripping before he could depart back to Hollywood. Now one question that arises here is: is this kayfabe a perfect utilization of the 46-year-old? Or could there have been something better planned for Cena? Thus, here are some of the possible scenarios where WWE could have booked him better.
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Roman Reigns could have been a prior plan for John Cena
In the latest buzz, the name John Cena unarguably stands out as having one of the biggest impacts in professional wrestling. Standing parallel to Ric Flair, this WWE GOAT has proven time and again how special his character has been throughout his career. After completely transitioning into a Hollywood star, Cena didn’t make regular appearances on WWE. And even now, it seems that the 46-year-old might not have much time to be with the promotion.
As Cena himself is a bigwig in the sport, there could have been chances to utilize him by putting him in the title picture against none other than Roman Reigns. WWE might have done it with Cena and Reigns at the time of Summerslam 2021, but he was not with the company for as long as he is right now. Thus, his current run could have been made even more gripping by putting him against Reigns in yet another singles run for undisputed gold. And it could have happened if the promotion delayed The Trible Chief’s vacation. However, since WWE is known to surprise fans, they still have a chance to fix their confrontation at Crown Jewel, which will take place after Fastlane.
A kayfabe of such intensity between the two relies on Cena’s presence. Well, John Cena is a huge name right now, and going against Reigns for a title shot could have done justice to his current run in the company. Probably, he could have battled Reigns, especially considering the grudges he has had against him in the past.
Maybe a healthy kayfabe with Cody Rhodes?
When we think of discussing Cena’s storylines in his current run, it would surely not be limited to a traditional heel-versus-face set-up. As most of the fans know him, The Cenation Leader has also indulged in a healthy feud rather than battling the evil intentions of his rivals in the WWE. The likes of Rey Mysterio, Shawn Michaels, Bryan Danielson (formerly known as Daniel Bryan), and even Roman Reigns were among the few bigwigs that faced Cena in a relatively clean kayfabe. Moreover, one name that could have been a prime contender for Cena was Cody Rhodes.
Ever since Rhodes made his return to the WWE, he has always been a frontrunner to enter the title picture. However, this year’s WrestleMania indeed proved to be a disappointing scenario for Rhodes, as he lost the ultimate opportunity to capture the belt against Roman Reigns. But, even after losing the headliner, Rhodes still continues to be a hot topic. His humongous triumph against Brock Lesnar signaled that he was still on the path to ultimate glory. As he won at SummerSlam, he witnessed a heartfelt gesture from Lesnar since he raised Rhodes’ hands in gratitude to showcase to the world an upcoming champion.
Cody’s feud at this point in time against Cena could be another factor that could groom him to become a big face in the WWE. Cena himself, being the biggest name in sports entertainment, could pass the torch to Cody and help him raise the bar. Precisely, Cena’s stature could be a perfect tool to catapult Rhodes to the frontline.
A singles run with The Judgment Day
Now, While we have discussed some healthy and clean stories for Cena, The Judgment Day faction could give it an evil twist. Perhaps it was possible to plan Cena’s feud with The Judgment Day, or even with one of its male members. It could have been someone like Damien Priest, Finn Balor, or Dominik Mysterio. The tale would have been even more gripping if Cena had a backup in the form of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens being there for his rescue.
As if Seth Rollins vs Gunther wasn't enough, John Cena vs Dominik Mysterio also took place after #SmackDown:pic.twitter.com/5FQKkfB3nr
— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) September 30, 2023
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A singles feud against any member of The Bloodline could have been a perfect platform to showcase Cena’s heroics against a heel faction, which could have been perfectly reminiscent of the days when Cena fought The Wyatt Family back in 2014.
Even if all the scenarios mentioned earlier don’t work right now, or if not in the future, WWE still has a perfect solo competitor for Cena. Didn’t get it? Well, it is Solo Sikoa, who could probably continue the feud against Cena. Indeed, there were surely many more scenarios that could have been discussed.
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But what could be the perfect way Cena could have been utilized?
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