John Cena has been “the face that runs the place” for the better part of the past 14 years in WWE. The 15-time WWE World Champion has done it all, but it’s becoming very clear that Cena is in the twilight of his wrestling career. His career outside of WWE is beginning to take precedent over his time in the ring.
Recently, it was reported that John Cena will no longer be a full-time performer for WWE. His part-time schedule will be keeping him busy on WWE television and on PPVs, but he’s going to miss a lot more WWE live events as well as an occasional PPV here and there.
For example, it’s being rumored by CageSideSeats.com that Cena will be missing SmackDown’s first PPV, WWE Backlash in September, since the brand split. John Cena has stated many times that he will continue to wrestle for as long as he can , but he’s going to be taking more time away from WWE very soon.
According to a report from RingSideNews.com, John Cena’s hosting duties for American Griton FOX will be taking him away from WWE programming again for another hiatus. Apparently, the show was picked up for a second season, which will cause Cena to take another extended break from WWE to film the show.
Last year, Cena was the United States Champion heading into WWE Hell in a Cell. Since Wrestlemania 31 , he had done an exceptional job feuding with several new WWE superstars to help elevate them and the U.S. title to a newfound prestige the midcard hadn’t had in a long time.
However, the run ended when Cena had to take time off to film the first season of American Grit , which led him to drop the U.S. title to Alberto Del Rio in October. John Cena would return to WWE in December, but he quickly suffered a serious shoulder injury that put him on the shelf until the end of May.
Since then, Cena has been deadlocked in a feud with AJ Styles and The Club, which has lasted all the way through the WWE Draft and the brand extension. The expectation is that the feud between Cena and Styles will continue on SmackDown until a definitive winner is decided at WWE Summerslam .
Last year, John Cena missed roughly two months filming a season of American Grit. No matter what happens at WWE Summerslam, Cena could be taking an equal amount of time away from WWE to film the next season. On paper, why should Cena get the victory over Styles if he’s just going to be off WWE TV?
Recently, it was reported that John Cena is no longer viewed in WWE as someone who can carry the company as he used to in the past. His limited schedule, work outside of WWE, and other commitments are starting to influence WWE, while at the same time, the next generation of WWE superstars are taking over.
This is the way of the industry. The longer John Cena takes time off from WWE to do TV shows, movies, and other commitments, the less necessary it will be for him to continue risking his body in the ring for WWE after almost 15 years of giving the company and the WWE Universe everything he has in the tank.
As of this writing, there is no premiere date and the shooting schedule hasn’t been released. There will be more information on that soon. As the product continues to feature less and less of John Cena on WWE television, there will be more opportunities for the SmackDown roster, who are chomping at the bit to get John Cena’s spot that has been occupied for years. WWE will be able to thrive with John Cena as well.
[Image via WWE.com]