John Cena's WWE Return: 10 Things We Can Expect

6. Ratings Spikes

John Cena
WWE

The first Monday Night Raw to feature John Cena in over two years saw the show's viewership up substantially on recent weeks.

1,923,000 viewers tuned in to the July 16th edition of the show, which was up 21% on the median amount collated from the last month and the show's highest number since the traditionally major post-WrestleMania broadcast.

That's not to say 'Big Match John' was the sole reason of course. Crowds had returned on the prior SmackDown and were loud for Cena's shock return at Money In The Bank, resulting WWE smartly riding a wave of buzz they may not be able to maintain when the "new normal" isn't so new.

Advertised for the opening of the show, 'The Champ' was a reliable and friendly face for lapsed fans, and they were given the aforementioned Riddle interaction as a seamless segue into a regular edition of the show. That the numbers ended strong speaks to what Cena can still provide - especially if this current return remains brief.

And it's not just Raw that needs a lift...

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett