John Cena

Once the rumored match against universal champion Roman Reigns is completed, the WWE Universe is wondering who John Cena could fight next if he does make his triumphant return to Raw or SmackDown.

While Reigns is the top star in the company, Cena should be back on WWE programming to put over the talented Superstars the company is looking to establish or cement as top stars, including Bobby Lashley, Sheamus and Apollo Crews.

Here are the top options for Cena after his rumored feud with Reigns is over.

Bobby Lashley

After Reigns banishes Cena from SmackDown, the leader of the Cenation should tuck his tail between his legs and make his way to the red brand as part of an effort to challenge Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship.

Just as Reigns will likely beat Cena to cement his status as a top star, Lashley should do the same and send the former face of the company back to Hollywood.

Lashley has been arguably the most entertaining part of Raw on a weekly basis thanks to his dominant in-ring performances and the elite mic work of MVP. With Cena and MVP going toe-to-toe on promos and the WWE champion carrying the former world champion in the ring, the result would be instant gold.

If Cena does return for a long-term run, he should be there to put over stars to build their credibility, thus helping the company sustain its momentum when he does leave again.

Sheamus

The United States champion Sheamus has been one of the top performers inside the ThunderDome, but the return of live audiences will help his credibility even more, especially if he were to challenge Cena.

Cena's United States Championship open challenges are just a part of his long history with the secondary title, and a feud against old foe Sheamus would make for an ideal midcard storyline. He doesn't have to be in pay-per-view main events to put over Superstars like the Celtic Warrior.

Instead, the former world champion and Hollywood star should be looking to help WWE's creative team put over its top names to wrestling fans as they start returning to the stands this summer.

Apollo Crews

One of Cena's best runs from his past several years with WWE revolved around his aforementioned United States Championship open challenges. This time around, he should help make another secondary title feel important.

Apollo Crews and the Intercontinental Championship should be on notice.

Crews has been one of the most dominant champions in WWE in recent months, but he has already run through most of the top face challengers on SmackDown. After losing to Reigns at SummerSlam, Cena should turn his attention to the IC champion.

Add in the fact that Cena would also have to go through a monster heel like Commander Azeez, and the stage is set for Cena to put over a fresh face and make the intercontinental title feel important again.

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John Cena's Return Date Reportedly Set

Amid speculation that the SummerSlam main event will feature Roman Reigns taking on John Cena, the leader of the Cenation is reportedly expected to make his return to WWE television very soon. 

Per Fightful Select (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.), Cena is expected to be on the July 23 episode of SmackDown from Cleveland, Ohio. 

In the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Andrew Ravens of WrestlingNews.co), Dave Meltzer reported Cena vs. Reigns is "locked in" as the main event for the Aug. 21 pay-per-view from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. 

While he remains under contract to WWE, Cena has worked a reduced schedule in recent years to focus on acting projects. He was seen in the latest in the Fast and Furious movie franchise F9 that was released in the United States on June 25. 

There was speculation that Cena's casting in a new movie could impact his return, but Meltzer reported on Monday's Wrestling Observer Radio that the filming schedule won't impede his ability to appear on WWE television. 

Cena hasn't been on WWE television since losing to "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Funhouse match at WrestleMania 36 on April 5, 2020.

Mandy Rose Traded to NXT?

Following a surprise appearance on Tuesday's episode of NXT, Mandy Rose may become a permanent staple on the brand going forward. 

According to WrestleVotes on Twitter, Rose has been traded from Raw to NXT in exchange for Aliyah. 

Rose appeared on the stage to watch the Sarray-Gigi Dolin match. She stayed until the end to watch Sarray score the win before going backstage. 

Rose has been on Raw since September after being acquired in a trade with SmackDown. She has spent most of this year in a tag team with Dana Brooke. The duo had been engaged in a feud with Natalya and Tamina over the WWE women's tag titles. 

If Rose's move to NXT is permanent, it's unclear how this will impact her partnership with Brooke and what the next step for Natalya and Tamina in the women's tag division will be. 

Rose began her career in WWE in 2015 after being a contestant on Tough Enough. She worked on NXT for two years before being called up to the main roster in 2017 as a member of Absolution, alongside Sonya Deville and Paige. 

Alexa Bliss Responds to Buddy Murphy

Outside of the wild world of WWE, Buddy Murphy and Alexa Bliss were in a romantic relationship and were briefly engaged before splitting up in September 2018. 

There certainly doesn't appear to be any hard feelings, as Murphy spoke very positively about Bliss' impact on his life and helping him acclimate to life in the United States during an interview with Chris Van Vliet. 

Bliss responded to Murphy's comments on Twitter:

Bliss continues to be a featured star on Raw, as she recently began a feud with Eva Marie and Doudrop after defeating Shayna Baszler at Hell in a Cell. 

Murphy was among six superstars released by WWE on June 2. He will make his return to the ring on Sept. 18 against Brian Cage for Battleground Championship Wrestling at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

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Reigns Talks Possibly Passing the Torch to McIntyre

Roman Reigns is the unquestioned top star in WWE currently, but he sees potential in another Superstar to potentially take that spot at some point.

During an appearance on the Cheap Heat podcast (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Jason Ounpraseuth), Reigns made it clear that he isn't leaving his perch any time soon, but endorsed Drew McIntyre as the possible next person in line:

There ain't nobody. I could say my favorite number two, Drew. He's my favorite number two. There's a bunch of number twos, threes, whatever you want to call it. We can we can rank them. It really don't matter. They're under me. How far under? Who knows? Who really cares? How strong of a number two do you want to be? At this point, my favorite is Drew McIntyre.

So in a perfect world, if there was an opportunity to pass the torch to him, he's the one guy that has captivated my attention in that manner, but at the same time, he ain't there, and it's only because I'm still here, so solid within my stronghold. The flag is fully planted in, so I can't even think about it now, but John [Cena] needed somebody to come in so he could move on and try new things and take care of his body. I will eventually need that, but there's just nobody at this point.

Reigns is the Universal champion and has been for nearly a year. During his run with the title, he has done the best work of his career, taking to the heel role more seamlessly than anyone could have imagined.

While Reigns has been a dominant force on SmackDown, McIntyre has consistently been one of the top guys on Raw during that time. He also helped carry WWE through much of the pandemic era, including the period when Reigns was away from the company last spring.

Reigns and McIntyre faced each other in a huge match at Survivor Series last year that was well received, and they also locked horns at WrestleMania 35 when Reigns was the face and McIntyre was the heel.

Roman and Drew have shown great  chemistry, so it comes as little surprise that Reigns views McIntyre as someone potentially capable of occupying his spot in the future.

For now, there is no sign of Reigns going anywhere, and it is clear he isn't looking to give up his spot willingly.

Triple H Comments on Cena, The Rock Potentially Returning to WWE

Wrestling fans love to speculate on when past stars like John Cena and The Rock will return to the company, and the whispers have grown louder recently with fans set to return as part of live crowds next month.

WWE legend and executive Triple H was asked about Cena and The Rock in an interview with Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post this week, and responded by saying: "No matter how busy they are, I know that anytime there's an opportunity where you would say to them, 'Hey, you could enter the ring in WWE and do this,' there's a part of them that goes, 'Ooh, that sounds like a lot of fun.'"

Cena hasn't wrestled a match for WWE since WrestleMania 36 last year due largely to his acting commitments, but now that he is done filming for the HBO Max series Peacemaker, he is available to return.

The 16-time world champion has said on multiple occasions that he is excited to return to WWE, and rumors have run rampant that his return could be happening soon.

WrestleVotes recently reported that WWE wants to make August's SummerSlam event at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as big as possible, and it desires to have Cena vs. Reigns headline the show.

It makes sense given Cena's availability and the desire to fill an NFL stadium as much as possible. Plus, a heel Reigns against a returning babyface Cena is one of the biggest matches WWE could make right now.

The Rock's return doesn't feel as imminent, but both he and Reigns, who are real-life cousins, have expressed interest in a potential match against each other in the past.

Reigns vs. The Rock is a legitimate dream match fit for WrestleMania, and it would make sense to have that match at WrestleMania 38 in Dallas next year or WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles the following year.

WWE seemingly has some aces up its sleeve moving forward, and it could make for some entertaining programming in the coming years.

Wight Responds to Shaq's AEW Match Challenge

Paul Wight against NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is a match that has been teased for years, and it can be argued that it has a better chance of happening now than ever before.

Wight is under contract with AEW, while Shaq is an NBA analyst for TNT, which is the same channel that airs AEW Dynamite.

Also, Shaq made his AEW in-ring debut in March, winning a tag team match with Jade Cargill against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet.

In an interview with Victoria Moghaddami of PopCulture.com this week, Shaq said a match against Wight could happen "really, really soon," before adding: 

There shouldn't be any problems for us getting together now. Last time there was a lot of bureaucracy and red tape. Now there is no red tape. I'm still kind of sore from that table so I'm going to work out during the summer, pump these muscles up and I'll be waiting for you, Mr. Paul.

Wight took to Twitter on Thursday, writing:

For about two decades, Wight wrestled under the name Big Show in WWE. During that time, he and Shaq had a handful of run-ins.

The most notable among them came at WrestleMania 32 in 2016 when they both competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and mixed it up a bit.

Both men talked about having a one-on-one match after that, but it never came to fruition.

Now, the opportunity is available to them again in AEW, and it seems as though they are open to making it happen.

If it does, Wight vs. Shaq could help get some new eyes on the product given how much crossover appeal the Basketball Hall of Famer possesses.

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