7 WWE Superstars Who Will Likely Miss WrestleMania 32 (And What Their Absence Means)
2. John Cena
Barring a miraculous recovery ala Royal Rumble 2008, John Cena will miss his first WrestleMania since his debut at the granddaddy of them all at WrestleMania XX in 2004. In the short-term, this is a huge loss for the company and fans alike. This shoulder surgery will keep John Cena away from the biggest event of them all after a year of some of the most exciting matches of his career. Love him or hate him, Cena may not have reinvented his gimmick, but he has reinvented himself in the ring. Cena is usually the man who the company can turn to when the main event scene is turned upside down by injury. Usually, Cena is already competing in the main event feud or can easily be plugged in to it to fill somebodys shoes. Its truly weird to see Big Match John on the injured list, especially as we head on a Road to WrestleMania that is already plagued with injury. But, long-term, this can be a positive thing for the company. 38-year-old Cena is far and away the WWEs biggest star. Even during the rare occasion where John Cena takes a month off, hes only a phone call away from stepping in and quickly fixing any issues WWE finds themselves in due to injury or suspensions etc. I would love to see Cena at this years WrestleMania and am in no way suggesting his injury is a good thing, but an injured John Cena going into WrestleMania forces the WWE to start investing in the future now. Weve already seen them begin to shape Roman Reigns into that star of the future. But, feelings about Reigns aside, I sincerely hope this opens WWEs eyes when it comes to building a single face of the company. If anything, this injury-afflicted roster headed into WrestleMania can make for an interesting show that forces Vince McMahons hand into letting the current talent prove they have what it takes to carry the ball going forward.
