7 Ways WWE Can Book Free Agent John Cena
No longer hindered by brand, Cena's future is a blank canvas.
WWE audiences haven't seen John Cena since him and Nikki Bella overcame The Miz and Maryse at WrestleMania 33, but he's finally on his way back. ' TheFace That Runs The Place' will return to WWE television on the 4th July episode of SmackDown, and while he has been exclusive to Tuesday nights since last summer, he was advertised as 'Free Agent John Cena' on this week's Raw.
This suggests that the 16-time world champion is no longer restricted to a single brand, will be working both shows upon returning. The most obvious conclusion is that WWE have made this change to alleviate both shows' ratings problems, with cynics arguing that it's a poorly-veiled excuse to strip SD of its prize asset. Regardless, the move opens up plenty of positive scenarios, particularly from a booking standpoint.
Allowing Cena to compete on both shows gives WWE a blank canvas. Many of these situations depend on how close he is to retirement, but even as John transitions away from life as a full-time wrestler, he's still WWE's biggest star, and someone who adds importance to every situation. Let's take a look at his potential booking options now that he's no longer bound to one show...
7. A New Open Challenge Series
As destructive as 2015’s John Cena vs. Rusev feud became, Cena’s ensuing United States Title reign was tremendous. His open challenge series brought an air of exciting unpredictability to Raw every week, as fans genuinely didn’t know who was going to show up. It allowed Sami Zayn to wet his feet on the main roster, gave us Kevin Owens’ memorable debut, and was a reliable source of good-to-great wrestling every single week.
Cena obviously doesn’t have a title at the moment, but presenting these challenges as a rare opportunity to face WWE’s biggest star should bring plenty of prestige in itself. Doing this across both brands would allow Cena to compete against the widest possible variety of opponents, and give WWE increased scope to use the part-timer to help put younger talents over, whether in victory or defeat.
Cena can’t win a match without people throwing the word “burial” around these days, but it’s hard to argue that previous open challenge losers like Zayn weren’t elevated. This could be a potentially valuable star-enhancing tool for both brands, particularly if John picks up another championship somewhere down the line.