8 New Directions After WWE Fastlane 2018

by Jamie Kennedy

1. John Cena Missing WrestleMania

Fastlane 2018
WWE.com

Picture John Cena, suited and booted, sitting in a sky box at WrestleMania 34 and bemoaning the fact he's not in the ring making history as a 17-time World Champion. That's a pretty powerful image, and it's one WWE have the chance to show in April.

Corey Graves and Byron Saxton both made sure to mention at Fastlane that Cena, by losing the Six Pack Challenge, now has a closed path in front of him; without an opponent or title, there's no spot for Cena on the 'Mania card. Unless WWE plan on booking a hasty return for The Undertaker, it looks like Johnny boy is off the show.

That's unthinkable for such a big star, but it could be that Cena is more valuable sitting in the stands than he would be by invading the WWE Title mix or working a throwaway match with only a few weeks of hype. There's a story, one of a fading star desperately trying to get back on track, waiting to be told, and it'd be amazing if WWE let John Cena tell it.

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Which other new directions do you see WWE going in with SmackDown post-Fastlane 2018? Let us know down in the comments section below!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.