When Is John Cena Coming Back?

You don’t have to be a wrestling fan to know that John Cena is the biggest star in WWE. Love him or hate him–and you know it’s one of the two–there’s no denying that he’s more than earned his place in wrestling history.

But with that superstar status comes a whole bunch of obligations outside the ring. He’s been busy filming the second season of reality series American Grit, and that’s led to an extended absence from his home on SmackDown Live. His presence has been sorely missed.

But that absence is about to end, as he’s scheduled for a match at the December 26th Madison Square Garden show. That’s a Monday night, so the SmackDown match obviously won’t be televised, but that does mean you can look for Cena’s in-ring return by the end of the year.

Cena is scheduled for a triple threat match with Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles for the WWE World Championship, and that’s likely to be a preview of the story SmackDown will be running until the Royal Rumble.