Does WWE Have a Plan for John Cena at WrestleMania 35?

John Cena is currently not advertised for WrestleMania 35 and that fact has become one of the more curious head-scratchers heading into April 7. How could WWE not include Cena in some capacity, even if it’s only for a quick promo in the ring?

It doesn’t seem like much of a big deal on paper. After all, The Rock left WWE years ago and he’s rarely ever at Mania. At one time, his presence was expected as well but as time has gone on, fans have let it go. But is this also the case for John?

The fact is that while most WWE fans were perhaps not fantasy booking him into any major angles, Cena was sorely missed recently thanks to Kurt Angle. The Olympic Gold Medalist and WWE Hall of Famer will work his last match at WrestleMania and he’s working that match against Baron Corbin. By why not John Cena?

It seemed like the perfect bit of booking, mostly because of the long-standing connection between the two men. Cena came in against Angle in 2002, kicking off the Ruthless Aggression Era. From that point on, John became a star and eventually, the top star. That was thanks in large part to getting the rub from Angle.

Watch the latest on Cena/Corbin and Angle!

So when Angle decided to announce his retirement, it was only logical that John step up. Cena versus Angle at WrestleMania only made sense and it still does. John could give Kurt seven to 10 minutes in the ring and provide a fitting end to Angle’s pro wrestling career. Win or lose, Kurt Angle would have his final Mania moment and John could ride off into the sunset once again.

But instead, fans are getting all the Baron Corbin they don’t want and no John Cena. The 16-time world champion is nowhere to be found and fans are wondering what his role will be on April 7. Of course, that’s assuming he even has a role to begin with.

There was a time when Cena’s character truly cared whether or not he would have a part to play on The Showcase of the Immortals. It was important to him. In fact, it was all he could talk about. But that was in 2018, when Cena wanted to be part of the show and everything made sense. 

John was stressed about the fact that he didn’t have a clear path to WrestleMania and he let everyone know it. More importantly, he let The Undertaker know it. Cena wanted to test himself against The Deadman on The Grandest Stage of Them All. John made the challenge and Taker did not accept.

Listen to Cena talk about his path to Mania in 2018!

For weeks, Cena continued to push the issue and finally resigned himself to merely being a spectator and nothing more. He “bought tickets” to the event and was happy to just be among the WWE faithful. While it seemed like an odd fit for the biggest night of the year, it was working. The fans suspected The Phenom would show up and he did. He and Cena had a match, Taker won and the card moved on from there. 

But the most important part about this angle was not John’s match with The Undertaker, it was the fact that Cena was content to just be a fan. He wanted to be there. It was important to him and it became important to fans as well. WWE drove the point home with every promo and every episode of Monday Night Raw.

However now there doesn’t seem to be any effort to get John to the big dance. He’s not even a spectator this time around. So what are the chances that John Cena, the former face of Vince McMahon’s company and the guy that could still have a top match with anyone on the card, will not be present on April 7?

Much of this has to do with John’s acting schedule. His role in the recent hit film Bumblebee was well received by critics and fans, who were impressed with his performance. Cena may not be the biggest star in Hollywood but he’s definitely working hard to gain a foothold. What if he simply cannot clear his schedule in order to be at WrestleMania 35?

Watch Cena’ hanging out with fans at WrestleMania 34!

Or maybe the truth is that WWE has no plan for John at all. Maybe Angle versus Corbin is the best that the company could book and John just doesn’t have a place in that match, or anywhere else. But is that the case?

Elias is supposedly the special musical guest of Mania this year, so the possibility that John will show up and take him out is always there. Maybe Cena will dispose of Elias, just as he did at WrestleMania 34.

But maybe it’s indeed over. As much as fans wanted to see John replace Baron, the fact is that it may not happen. Maybe WWE has moved on and perhaps John has as well. WWE tends to book on the fly and because of that, it’s usually impossible to know what their next move will be. Of course it’s entirely possible that there is a plan for Cena after all and it won’t be revealed until the night of April 7. It seems that fans have a little longer to wait than they thought.

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes,YouTube, iHeart Radio, boinkstudios.com and live every Friday at 12pm EST on Wrestling Rumors Facebook Live