4 Possible Options for John Cena's Role at WWE WrestleMania 2019

John Cena has been a fixture of WWE since his debut in 2002 and is part of the fabric of the company, but his presence at WrestleMania 35 is no guarantee.

In 2018, Cena was involved in a storyline dedicated entirely to the idea that he may not have a role on the show, which culminated in a quick squash match with The Undertaker. This year, though, may be different.

Somehow, there's even less of a chance that Cena will do anything significant on Sunday, as he hasn't been advertised in any official way.

However, there are still a few options on the table for how Cena might be utilized at WrestleMania 35, so let's take a look at how this might go down.

Last year, it was teased that The Undertaker was coming out to confront Cena, only for it to be Elias. This led to the 16-time world champion casting him aside with an Attitude Adjustment before The Phenom made his appearance.

One of the strongest cases for what WWE might have planned for Cena this year is that the reverse could happen.

It would be payback for WrestleMania 34 and a means for Cena to do something physical without taking on too much, but it would also be incredibly underwhelming.

That segment last year wasn't so memorable that people are clamoring to see a repeat of it, as it was swept aside moments after it had even happened because The Undertaker's presence was significantly more important.

It's nothing we haven't already seen multiple other times too. Cena has interrupted Elias on numerous occasions over the past year or so, and there's nothing special about it.

We all know Elias is going to be interrupted by someone because it happens nearly every single time he's out in the ring, and for this segment to just be an opportunity for Cena to do his Five Moves of Doom and play his music will just be a waste of time.

As much of a disconnect as there can be at times between the powers that be in WWE and the fans, there's no way the creative team is ignorant enough to think the audience will accept Baron Corbin vs. Kurt Angle with nothing else to it.

WWE has already acknowledged this lack of support from the WWE Universe by incorporating that heat into Corbin's promos, so the fix should be to have Cena save the day.

The best way this would go down is for Angle to force Corbin to tap so quickly that it won't take up more than a minute before having Cena come out to say that a squash isn't a worthwhile final match for Angle.

Then, as a replacement match, Cena can do the segment justice and put on a much better match, as that would at least give fans the aura that it is important rather than disappointing.

If this doesn't happen and Cena has no involvement in Angle's retirement match, the segment is going to fall flat, and the boos won't be for Corbin but for WWE's booking strategy, which will ruin the Hall of Famer's sendoff.

WWE must know this, and if the writing team is smart, it will do whatever maneuvering with the card it can to make sure Cena steps in and faces Angle in an impromptu change to the lineup.

If Cena doesn't wrestle against Angle, but does compete in an official match, the only reasonable option is that he would be involved in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

WrestleMania is stacked as it is, so there won't be time to add another match to the card. That means no rematch against The Undertaker. Nor could WWE fully set up and execute something with Lars Sullivan.

Basically, if Cena's getting physical, it's in the Elias segment, the Angle segment or this match.

However, even that isn't a likely option because he's far too big of a name to lose in the shuffle among 30 or so midcarders and jobbers.

The only saving grace to this idea is that the inclusions of Michael Che and Colin Jost boosts the profile of this match and there might be a plan in the works to have the Saturday Night Live crew interact with Cena for some sort of Hollywood tie-in.

Perhaps Cena will host SNL sometime in the future, and this will help set up a joke that can be referenced when that happens. Maybe Cena will even be the one to come to the rescue to help out those two against Braun Strowman, even though The Monster Among Men is being booked as a babyface in this feud.

It's a stretch, but there's more of a chance this happens than Cena's insertion into a hunt for any of the championships or something else even more convoluted.

Since Cena is no longer an active competitor on par with the rest of the roster, he is transitioning to a semi-retirement role.

Typically, once Superstars reach that status, there is less of an urge to see them in the ring and more just to see them at all, as their presence is what is most valuable.

The best and easiest way WWE does this is with promos and backstage skits, which act as buffer segments throughout the night. They also function as bathroom breaks and can bring levity between two serious matches.

Cena's acumen for goofing around and loving the more comedic side of performing fits this mold. He's iconic and fans will pop every time he's around, and he obviously has fun being silly.

Between the Hall of Fame class of 2019, the celebrities and the rest of the legends who could be in attendance, the way WWE incorporates Cena into WrestleMania this year may be something as simple as having him take part in one of those promos and nothing more.

As much as it's a downer to admit it, there's a chance Cena does nothing at all at WrestleMania and isn't part of the festivities in any fashion.

Sticking to the nature of kayfabe, fans shouldn't expect to see him, as he hasn't been advertised in any strong capacity.

Sometimes, things just don't work out. His movie schedule now seemingly takes priority, and WrestleMania is loaded with talent and far too many segments as is, so this might be one of those years when Cena and WWE can't work out an arrangement.

If that happens, it will be disappointing not to see Cena, but it won't be the end of the world. He'll show up somewhere down the line in 2019, and his absence will probably make everyone's hearts grow fonder.

Here's hoping WWE has found a meaningful way to incorporate Cena on to the WrestleMania 35 card, though.

Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.