7 Ways WWE Can Book Free Agent John Cena
6. "Touring" WWE Champion
Cena will make his WWE return on SmackDown’s July 4th episode, with the latest speculation pointing towards a feud with WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. Given the anti-USA gimmick that Mahal has been using lately, having him interrupt a patriotic Cena return promo on Independence Day should be easy heat, and the perfect jump-off for a potential rivalry.
It has been suggested that Jinder will go over if WWE decide to go ahead with the feud, but this would be a mistake. The WWE Title has rarely felt as meaningless as it does today, and much of that is down to the current champion, who was a career-long enhancement talent up until a few months ago. Putting it back around John’s waist would breed cynicism, but he’s the company’s biggest name, and perhaps the only one who can rehabilitate it.
From that point, Cena could be transformed into a “touring” World Champion, defending the belt on both shows. Sure, this would step on the Universal Title’s toes, but Brock Lesnar is barely around most of the time. This route would give Raw’s main eventers something to fight for while ‘The Beast’ is away, and could help rebuild the belt if the match quality is high enough.