John Cena

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

WWE Reportedly Surprised About Rhodes Injury Leak

WWE was reportedly surprised that news of Cody Rhodes torn pectoral muscle leaked before Sunday's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Michael Perry of Ringside News), only about 10 people were aware of the nature of Rhodes' injury after it happened, but several reports came out on the day of Hell in a Cell about Rhodes' having suffered a torn pec.

WWE announced during a house show the night before Hell in a Cell that Rhodes had been pulled from a scheduled match against Seth Rollins due to injury, which led to reporters "poking around" for more information, per Sapp.

Despite the significant injury, Rhodes battled through it and beat Rollins in a classic Hell in a Cell match.

Rhodes cut a promo on Monday's Raw about wanting to compete in the Money in the Bank ladder match, but he got attacked by Rollins, who hit him with a sledgehammer.

Sapp noted that it is unlikely Rhodes will pass up on getting his scheduled surgery this week in order to compete at Money in the Bank, meaning the promo about competing in the ladder match was likely just part of the storyline to make Rollins' attack even more heinous.

Leading up to Sunday's match, WWE announced that Rhodes had partially torn his pec during a brawl with Rollins on last week's Raw and then tore his pec completely off the bone while weight training.

Since Cody couldn't tear his pec more than he already did, it came down to pain management and whether he felt he could get through the match.

After Hell in a Cell went off the air, Rhodes cut a passionate promo and told the fans in Rosemont, Illinois, that it was 100 percent his call to wrestle the match and deliver the main event that was advertised.

If the usual timeline to return from a torn pec applies to Rhodes, he should be back by December, which would give him ample time to prepare for the Royal Rumble match.

Given his courageous effort at Hell in a Cell and how much the fans are behind him as a top babyface, Cody has to be considered a heavy favorite to win the Rumble and challenge for a world title at WrestleMania 39.

Update on Reigns' In-Ring Schedule

There is reportedly some uncertainty when it comes to Roman Reigns' next defense of the undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Perry), Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre is locked in for Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales, in September, but The Tribal Chief will be in action before then.

Meltzer noted that Reigns will "definitely" wrestle at SummerSlam in late July, although his status for Money in the Bank is up in the air.

Reigns was reportedly supposed to face Riddle at Money in the Bank before WWE reversed course. Meltzer added that while WWE may go back to that, Reigns. vs. Lashley is also a possibility with how WWE is building Lashley up as a top babyface.

If Monday night's episode of Raw is any indication, all signs point toward Reigns vs. Riddle happening eventually, whether it is at Money in the Bank or SummerSlam.

Riddle called out Reigns by name and said he intended to take the world title from him after his role in injuring Randy Orton a few weeks ago.

Reigns was not part of the Hell in a Cell card, and while he wrestled at WrestleMania Backlash, it was a six-man tag team match, and his titles weren't on the line.

The Head of the Table hasn't had a championship defense since beating Brock Lesnar to unify the WWE and Universal Championships at WrestleMania 38 in April, but WWE does seem to be laying the groundwork for his next defense.

Cena Teases Theory Match Ahead of WWE Return

John Cena is continuing to drop hints regarding a potential match against United States champion Theory.

On Monday, Cena posted a photo on his Instagram account of Kevin Owens' boot stepping on the U.S. title.

That photo was from several years ago when Cena and Owens feuded over the United States Championship, and it may be a sign that the veteran intends to pursue the title once again.

On Monday's episode of Raw, WWE announced that Cena is making his return to WWE programming on the June 27 edition of Raw, which is the final Raw before Money in the Bank.

Theory has been calling Cena out and essentially begging for a match with him for months, and Cena has even responded from time to time.

During a recent appearance on WWE's TikTok account, Cena was asked to name the WWE Superstar most in need of an attitude adjustment, and he mentioned Theory.

WWE is clearly heavily invested in the 24-year-old Theory, and some have even compared him to a young Cena.

Theory has been working closely with WWE chairman Vince McMahon for months, and at WrestleMania 38, he wrestled Pat McAfee and took a Stunner from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

He subsequently beat Finn Balor for the U.S. title and has been on a roll ever since, including defeating Mustafa Ali at Hell in a Cell.

If WWE wants to get Theory to the next level, a feud with Cena is perhaps the ideal way to make it happen, and it seems as though Cena is interested in the idea.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).

John Cena might once again be the biggest problem-solver for WWE. 

It sounds a little strange to say because he's such a draw and the company's top guy, but WWE has a Roman Reigns problem on its hands.

Nobody on the normal roster is a believable threat to Reigns. He's bested pretty much everyone of note during this historic rein, be it Kevin Owens, Finn Balor's The Demon and now Brock Lesnar, after a feud that derailed the entire top of the men's division and dominated the entire run to WrestleMania. 

Cena is one of the only guys capable of still getting in a wrestling ring and taking down Reigns in a believable manner at this point. Fitting, considering he just had an interview in which he talked about how he's been away for too long and would like to come back. 

Cena noted the following to Adam Glyn of the Adam's Apple podcast (h/t Fightful's Robert DeFelice):

"Oh, soon. I know in WWE, I turn 20 pretty soon so that's a pretty big thing. From a pretty storied class of folks—Batista, Randy Orton, Brock [Lesnar]—we kind of all turn 20 this year, so I'm aware that that's coming around the corner, and who knows, but it's one of those hard truths to bear. There's a lot of cool stuff going on, and I don't want to say no to any opportunities that are on my doorstep. So I don't know when I'll be back. But hopefully, it's soon. I've been gone for too long."

Talk about a get-out-of-jail-free card for WWE. Sure, Cena could just get involved with the likes of Randy Orton while celebrating the big anniversary. 

Or, he could come back, challenge Reigns for one of the titles and win it. 

It doesn't get much easier than that. Cena could pull off an upset, perhaps with some shenanigans via outside interference (or maybe a heel turn, right guys?) and steal one of the titles. He could then take said title back to the opposite brand, resetting the main event scene, and then work some of those feuds with the likes of Orton. 

In the process of this, Reigns wouldn't lose much steam. In fact, his character could just laugh it off as losing a title that doesn't even belong on his show—a relic he stole from Lesnar that he didn't really care for, perhaps. 

Maybe WWE takes it a step further with Cena as the problem-solver, too. While a feud with Orton would of course be historic, he could drop the title to a Money in the Bank briefcase cash-in used by a fast-rising talent. 

Wishful thinking, perhaps, but this sort of timeline would help correct the mistake that was putting two titles on one guy (while too scared to actually unify them), get programming back to normal for the men's divisions and enable Cena to only stick around for a few months before getting back to Hollywood. 

Along the way, it would be pretty hard for WWE to complain about the added boost of star power to what is normally a pretty quiet time on the calendar. Sure, WWE would probably like to save Cena for something much bigger like a 'Mania if they only get him once a year, but this would make lesser events feel more important and likely earn them more viewers than usual. 

That's the other thing to consider—the bump to weekly viewership in what is usually a lull for WWE. Cena's back with a title and feuding with the roster? Reigns is on a revenge tour after a loss? A MiTB winner could cash-in on Cena at any time? That's captivating and (somehow, in 2022) refreshing content to watch live. 

Again, the term wishful thinking applies to all of this. But there aren't many reasonable ways for WWE to book itself out of this problem, unless the plan is to really have Reigns keep both titles through next WrestleMania after beating The Rock. 

Presumably, WWE can't afford to handicap its men's division for that long. With Cena publicly chatting about a return, he looks like the best possible fix. 

WWE legend John Cena teased a potential return to the company in the near future on Wednesday.

Speaking to Adam Glyn of the Adam's Apple podcast (h/t Fightful's Robert DeFelice), Cena discussed when he plans to resurface in WWE:

"Oh, soon. I know in WWE, I turn 20 pretty soon so that's a pretty big thing. From a pretty storied class of folks Batista, Randy Orton, Brock [Lesnar], we kind of all turn 20 this year, so I'm aware that that's coming around the corner, and who knows, but it's one of those hard truths to bear. There's a lot of cool stuff going on, and I don't want to say no to any opportunities that are on my doorstep. So I don't know when I'll be back. But hopefully, it's soon. I've been gone for too long."  

The 45-year-old Cena is primarily focused on his duties in Hollywood these days, but he has still found a way to make time for WWE in recent years.

Cena's transition from full-time WWE Superstar to movie star essentially took place in 2018. Since then, he has still had at least one match for WWE each year.

After working two matches in 2019, Cena faced "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36 in a Firefly Fun House match in 2020 with no fans in attendance because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cena didn't come back again until the fans had returned, as he made a surprise appearance at Money in the Bank in July 2021 to confront Roman Reigns.

That led to a match between Reigns and Cena at SummerSlam, which Reigns won. That turned out to be Cena's only televised match in 2021.

Cena worked upward of 15 matches during what was billed as the Summer of Cena by WWE, but almost all of them were dark matches or house show matches.

If another Summer of Cena is in the works for the 16-time world champion, his WWE return would likely occur within the next couple of months.

With Cena having so many commitments as an actor in movies and television series, however, his WWE return will be based solely on whether he is able to find some free time.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.  

WWE Holding Off on Reigns vs. McIntyre

WWE isn't being shy about the fact it's setting up a Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre feud. The duo has been working together at house shows for months, and now an on-screen feud is in its infancy, with McIntyre set to join RK-Bro for a six-man tag match against The Bloodline at WrestleMania Backlash.

The one-on-one singles match may just have to wait, though.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio said WWE held back on McIntyre vs. Reigns because they want it for a larger show. 

Hell in a Cell is set to take place in June, and Money in the Bank is slated for July. The MITB live event is scheduled for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, so it's possible Reigns-McIntyre will have to wait until it can be booked for a football stadium crowd.

With SummerSlam also slated for a stadium later in July, it'll be interesting to see how they handle two massive-scale shows in the span of a month.

WWE Waited on NXT Cuts

That WWE is releasing talent should come as no surprise. In recent years, the company has gutted its roster down to essential personnel and developmental talent only. While there is clear talent at the top of the card, you'll be hard-pressed to find a time in recent history when WWE's talent pool was shallower.

NXT talents Malcolm Bivens, Dakota Kai, Harland, Persia Pirotta, Raelyn Divine, Draco Anthony, Vish Kanya, Mila Malani and Blair Baldwin were the latest on the chopping block last week. Bivens and Kai were by far the two biggest names of the bunch and could wind up finding themselves on AEW's radar.

Meltzer said WWE plans to continue churning out talent, particularly at the NXT level. He said he heard cuts were coming weeks before they happened. 

“Yeah, I think so. I’ve had people say that but no one really knows other than Vince and everything," Meltzer said on Sunday Night’s Main Event. You kind of hear rumblings the day before that this is gonna be the bad day, which actually I had heard on April 13 and 14 that the 15 is gonna be the bad day. Then it came and went and then it happened two weeks later and I would think that would be it for NXT but there were no main roster [releases].”

Talent-churning is a reality of the wrestling business. Several AEW originals have either seen their contracts expire or will have them expire in recent months. While AEW has gone through a different tact in making its roster decisions, odds are Tony Khan's ever-growing roster will, at some point, have to make some tough decisions.

That said, what WWE has done in recent years has been jarring to even the most business-minded fans. 

Theory Wants Cena at SummerSlam

John Cena will, at some point, find himself back on WWE programming. He hasn't been seen since a loss to Roman Reigns at last year's SummerSlam. The odds of Cena ever becoming a full-time performer again are slim, but the 16-time champion told Jack King of GQ UK that he misses wrestling. 

“I miss it every day. Every single day,” Cena said. “But I’ll be 45 on April 23rd, and I was very fortunate to make it as long as I did with only a minor list of injuries. Nothing that has changed the trajectory of my long-term health. I’m strong, flexible, and in really good shape externally, internally. I think now, being a full-time touring performer might start to hit that point of diminishing returns, and I have to be realistic when I look at that.”

That said, Theory has an idea of who Cena could face if he comes back for another SummerSlam one-off: himself.

The United States champion reposted a fan-made graphic showing a match between the two for the championship, saying "why not?"

Cena's 2015 U.S. title run is arguably the most legendary in the belt's history, helping elevate the midcard title to the top of the card and putting out a series of bangers against up-and-coming talent.

If WWE is looking to solidify Theory as the face of this new era of talent, there isn't a much better way than being put over by Cena. 

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

John Cena hasn't been seen on WWE television since losing to Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, but he is at least teasing the possibility of showing up in Saturday's men's Royal Rumble. 

Cena posted a picture on Instagram with a fan holding a sign saying he would be "mildly disappointed" if the 13-time WWE champion doesn't appear in the Royal Rumble dressed as his Peacemaker character.

The original version of the picture, taken in 2006, shows the fan holding a sign that read, "If Cena wins we riot."

WWE is already planning to have one non-wrestler in the men's Royal Rumble with Jackass star Johnny Knoxville advertised for the men's Royal Rumble match, which is often remembered as much for the surprise entrants as the actual winners. 

Cena had a brief run in WWE last summer when he returned at Money in the Bank to confront Reigns after the Tribal Chief defeated Edge to retain the Universal Championship. 

After losing to Reigns in the SummerSlam main event, Cena tweeted he was going away again but teased a return at some point:

In recent years, Cena's acting career has taken off. He appeared in F9, from the Fast & Furious franchise, and The Suicide Squad last year. The 44-year-old has also served as co-host of the TBS series Wipeout since April. 

As long as there are openings in Cena's schedule, it stands to reason he would be happy to show up in WWE whenever possible. 

Even if Cena's Instagram post is only meant to be taken as a joke, the Royal Rumble would be the perfect time for a one-off appearance by one of the biggest stars in WWE history. 

"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent uttered those words in the 2008 film The Dark Knight, a precursor for the descent into darkness that Gotham's "white knight" would take over the course of the two-and-a-half-hour classic.

As stars in both WWE and All Elite Wrestling are all too aware, it is also a statement that reflects the roller-coaster ride of being a top star in the world of professional wrestling.

Wrestling Fans Are Fickle

In recent years, both Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes have taken that unpleasant ride. There were the highs of career-defining moments and raucous crowd reactions, followed swiftly by the same fans turning on them and denouncing their work. 

Rollins worked himself into the ground to get where he eventually did, bringing renewed credibility to the Intercontinental Championship through 2008 before winning the men's Royal Rumble match in 2019 and beating Brock Lesnar twice on pay-per-view. 

Rhodes, meanwhile, delivered one of the greatest contests of the last 10 years against his brother, Dustin, at Double or Nothing in 2019. He brought energy to shows and was the heart and soul of AEW early on. 

Despite their efforts, however, fans turned on them. They began greeting their presence on shows with choruses of boos that became far too loud and obvious to ignore; not because they stopped working hard or because they openly invited the negativity, though.

The fans turned on them because...reasons.

Some argue the weakening of the characters was at fault, while others will point to "the machine" as the reason they abandoned the very competitors they championed to success. Still, others will offer no reason, their attention spans demanding they reject their previous favorite in favor of finding someone else to latch onto.

Imagine how different wrestling history may have been if the same fans who supported "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock had suddenly and inexplicably stopped rooting for them, booing either man because they had too much TV time or because Vince McMahon and his creative forces finally got behind them.

A change in the audience, wanting what they want until they don't want it anymore, is absolutely key in understanding the shift and the roller-coaster ride. To solely blame fans and their fickleness, though, would be irresponsible.

Stupid Ideas From Bad Creative

There is blame to be placed at the feet of creative teams.

Rollins faded as a fan favorite the moment he became a one-dimensional babyface, booked to fight from underneath and handed half-hearted promos to deliver to an audience that had grown tired of it months earlier. 

When Bray Wyatt came along with his new Fiend persona, the fans gravitated to it because it was wholly unique in a world of sameness. Why would fans continue to support Rollins when they had this new toy that captured their attention more than the beat-up old teddy bear had in months?

The same can be said about Rhodes.

Despite being the heart of AEW, his promos started to sound a bit too self-righteous. They were less focused than they should have been, tying in elements bigger than wrestling when all he really needed to do was hammer home the intent of his character in relation to whichever feud he was in at the time.

Fans became tired of the same, formulaic promo and the self-congratulatory pats on the back and denounced Rhodes, something we saw a lot of in 2021.

Even John Cena, the biggest star of the last 20 years, fell prey to a creative team that failed to adjust to meet the expectations of the audience.

Cena became a modern-day superhero, able to overcome the odds at any turn to the point that WWE Creative got lazy and stopped developing him beyond that. He was the company's answer to Superman; a vanilla good guy who inspired kids, sure, but he also generated a ton of jeers from parents who had long since tired of watching the same thing over and over.

Uninspired creative in an age when there are so many fresh, unique and exciting ideas on display on any number of streaming platforms and social media, only makes it easier to give up on characters and performers who fall into complacency.

The two go hand-in-hand. Fans and their lack of loyalty to any one character certainly make that roller coaster descend much quicker, but there is a very real reason to believe that would not be the case if the creative forces, including the performers themselves, gave them a reason to maintain attention.

Until both elements work in unison, this will be the norm in WWE, AEW and any other major wrestling company that rises to prominence.