8 Times WWE Ignored The Second Brand Extension
4. John Cena's Unexplained Status As A Free Agent (SmackDown Live, 4 July 2017)
Regardless of whether you love him or loathe him, there is no question that John Cena is still the biggest and most notable name WWE has on their active roster, despite how infrequently he may appear on programming.
When he signed with SmackDown Live in July 2016, it was seen as a major endorsement of the blue brand considering it had been over a decade since he was last an official member of their roster. His SmackDown stint consisted of him winning the WWE Championship, battling AJ Styles, and feuding with The Miz, further proving that SmackDown was where he belonged.
Once he returned from his post-WrestleMania hiatus, it was announced that he would be a "free agent," allowing him to appear on both brands at his leisure. Obviously, that was done to boost ratings for Raw without officially moving him there in case he was needed on SmackDown, but it basically told viewers that the rest of the roster was beneath him. While that is true to an extent, it was asinine of WWE to outright say that.
In storyline, why wouldn't Daniel Bryan or Kurt Angle attempt to recruit Cena full-time? How exactly did he become a free agent in the first place? How long will this last? None of these questions have been answered, and it's apparent they probably never will be.