WWE News: John Cena’s Return Date To WWE Programming Confirmed, First Big Match Revealed

John Cena is currently on a hiatus from WWE due to commitments for Hollywood, but his WWE return has been confirmed only a month removed from WrestleMania 33. The last time the WWE Universe saw John Cena, he got engaged to Nikki Bella on the grandest stage of them all after winning a mixed tag team match against Maryse and The Miz. It was a genuinely happy moment for him to leave WWE fans with for a while.

However, he is currently on another hiatus to film a new movie, but he left without there being a confirmed return date. The expectation is Cena would be back on WWE television in a few months. His return to WWE is bound to happen before WWE SummerSlam in August, but WWE fans have been speculating about how long he will be kept off WWE television. The latest update on his status was nothing more than speculation.

In his absence, Shinsuke Nakamura has emerged as the one to fill John Cena’s spot on SmackDown. WWE officials are being hesitant about how they use “The King of Strong Style” on WWE television. He’s not even set to wrestle a match on-screen until WWE Backlash. However, Nakamura won’t have to carry the load on his own for much longer because the WWE Universe finally has a timetable for John Cena’s WWE return.

The rumored time frame after WrestleMania for John Cena’s return was the WWE Money in the Bank PPV in June. It’s now being confirmed that Cena will return to WWE before the PPV. The exact date of his return will likely be announced at WWE Backlash. There is some speculation regarding his next rivalry once Cena is back on WWE television, but the expectation is he’ll be involved in the Money in the Bank Ladder match.

It has been reported that Baron Corbin is the current frontrunner to walk out of St. Louis with the Money in the Bank briefcase at the PPV. Nothing is confirmed, but it’s unlikely that John Cena will win the briefcase himself. However, his next feud will likely come out of that match. Until this report, it wasn’t clear when he would return to WWE. Potential creative plans for Cena haven’t been a very hot topic over the last month.

However, there are only two ways WWE officials are likely to use him. Some people are assuming that Cena will only be back with the company through WWE SummerSlam before taking off again for another project in Hollywood or outside of WWE. There is no question he will work some big matches, but he will either be challenging for the WWE Championship to break Ric Flair’s record or he’ll be working with a young talent.

There has been some speculation about John Cena facing Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34. That is potentially a year away, but that means it’s unlikely that WWE officials are planning Cena vs. Nakamura for WWE SummerSlam this year. Originally, the plan was for Cena to have a huge rivalry with Samoa Joe after his hiatus. For the time being, that can’t happen while Joe is on Raw and John is on SmackDown Live.

It’s possible that John Cena could feud with Baron Corbin after he wins the Money in the Bank contract. He could also feud with Jinder Mahal, who is being pushed as a strong midcard heel now that WWE is looking to expand into India. There is a lot of value in a feud between Cena and Mahal, especially now that the fans have lightened up to Cena. No matter what he’s doing, John Cena will be welcomed back with open arms.

[Featured Image by WWE]