Original Plans for John Cena’s WWE Promo Got Pulled Down Because of 38-Year-Old WWE Star

Since his debut in WWE in 2014, Kevin Owens has risen to become a top performer for the promotion. However, in a recent episode, the formal WWE Universal Champion unwittingly forced the WWE to change their storyline.

Owens was supposed to feature on the SmackDown episode on December 16. According to the original plan, he was to face Roman Reigns and other members of The Bloodline, in person, for a big revelation featuring John Cena. Had everything gone according to plan, The Prize Fighter would have introduced Cena’s promo to The Bloodline. But that did not happen as the 38-year-old could not make it to the venue.

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Owens was involved in a “nightmare travel situation”, forcing the writers to write him out of the episode. The WWE, however, made the announcement, albeit with a slight change.

John Cena drives ticket sales for the upcoming event

Even after 20 years, John Cena hasn’t lost his drawing power. The pro wrestler turned actor seldom features at WWE events, yet, when the company announced his arrival, ticket sales received a boost.

According to reports, as many as 4,000 tickets were sold since Cena’s return was announced for the last SmackDown episode of 2022. The WWE then went a step further and announced a tag team match featuring Cena.

Kevin Owens has had a bitter-sweet relationship with fellow Canadian wrestler Sami Zayn. It was Zayn’s betrayal of Owens that led to the former’s elevation in the Roman Reigns-led The Bloodline. Reigns, fondly referred to as The Tribal Chief by his faction, is the longest-reigning WWE Universal Champion. Currently, Reigns is one of the most dominating performers in the WWE.

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On the other hand, Cena has been one of the most prolific faces of the company. So, when they announced his return, a Cena-Reigns clash was always on the cards. To make it even more engaging, Owens will pair with Cena to take on the duo of Reigns and Zayn.

Roman Reigns issues threat ahead of Cena match

Cena, who has been out of in-ring action for over a year, will face a stern test on December 30th. The Peacemaker has been served notice by the former Shield member ahead of their clash.

“Because on December 30th, and Tampa you already know, what The Tribal Chief’s gon’ do, I’m gon’ smash somebody…and it ain’t no secret, I made multiple millions of dollars by whopping John Cena, by whopping KO because that’s who I am and that’s what I do,” Reigns said.

Cena had last appeared on an episode of Raw this summer to celebrate his 20th anniversary at WWE. This time, however, it’s going to be different. It would be fascinating to see how two former rivals, Cena and Owens, bury their past and work as a team.

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