10 Big Talking Points From WWE Raw (July 11)
3. The Most Popular Man In Sports Entertainment?
Early on Raw, The Club made a point of mentioning that John Cena was not in attendance - instead, he was in Los Angeles rehearsing for the ESPY Awards. Cena's absence came into play when Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows took on Enzo and Big Cass later in the show.
The Club ended up disqualified when AJ Styles, who was in his team's corner, threw Big Cass over the guardrail. That left Enzo by himself, easy pickings for The Club. The Smacktalker Skywalker was defiant as the three men circled him, but he was saved at the last moment... by John Cena.
The announcers were shocked, but apparently, The Club was full of it when they said Cena was gone. The crowd gave Big Match John a warm reception, though - they chanted "Cena" loudly, which was surprising.
During Cena's absence from injury, many fans speculated that all of the Roman Reigns hate would actually make the 15-time world champion more beloved when he returned. So far, that's proven true. Cena's tried to play up his divisive reaction, even encouraging fans to chant "Cena Sucks" (the conspiracy theorist in me thinks it's so Reigns's reaction will seem less jarring). It hasn't worked, and Reigns is safe as public enemy number one.