John Cena Addresses Potential WWE Return While Giving Praise To Fellow Class Of 2002 Superstars

A young John Cena in the ring with Shawn Michaels
(Image credit: WWE)

The WWE recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of superstar Randy Orton being part of the organization, and he’s not the only notable legend celebrating the big 2-0 this year. John Cena will also soon be celebrating two decades transpiring since his WWE debut, but does that mean we’ll see him back in the ring soon? Cena recently addressed that topic while lightly showering his fellow Class of 2002 superstars with praise. 

John Cena is a busy man as of late with a lot of projects in Hollywood on screens big and small, but he still found some time to chat with Adam Glyn for Warner Bros. Discovery's upfront presentation, with Cena repping both Peacemaker and Wipeout. During their brief conversation, Cena was asked about the odds of an in-ring return, and gave an honest response about what he wants to do:

Oh, soon. I know in WWE years I turn 20 pretty soon, so that’s a pretty big thing, and from a pretty storied class of folks: Batista, Randy Orton, Brock, who kind of all turned 20 this year. I’m aware 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 of those opportunities that are on my doorstep. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but hopefully, it’s soon. I’ve been gone for too long.

The wrestling legend said he’s been away for too long, but relatively speaking, it has only been nine months since his match against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam 2021. Cena enjoyed the run so much that he added tour dates to his schedule to have more time to shine in WWE-mode, so I’d believe he’s genuine in expressing a want to return.

It’s a bittersweet pill for wrestling fans that John Cena’s Hollywood career is doing so well. I’m not sure anyone is upset about his success with Peacemaker and the various other projects he’s tied up in, but with every movie and show that lands on his plate, there’s less time for him to return to the WWE for any stretch of time. The organization is doing just fine without him, of course, but it’s always exciting to see a legend get back in the ring. 

It would be even more exciting to see it happen soon, as Roman Reigns is allegedly taking most of the summer off to pursue his own endeavors in Hollywood. Pair that with the recent news that Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out, and the WWE is rather quickly losing available stars to fill seats. If ever there was a time for John Cena to pop in and have a brief run, now seems like it would be a great time. 

This is especially true when Cena is only one title win away from breaking Ric Flair’s record for the most WWE World Championship title reigns. It would be great to see Cena break that record while he can still compete in the ring with ease, though he’d need a gap of availability in his acting/hosting schedule to properly run and end that title reign. I’d love to see that happen, and if Cena returns to WWE, it probably will, but for the moment, we’ll just have to wait and see what his increasingly busy schedule will allow for. 

John Cena isn’t currently working with the WWE, but fans can check out his greatest matches with a Peacock premium subscription. Hopefully, there will be  more content to add in the near future, and we’ll get to see Cena celebrate what could be one of his most historic runs yet. 

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.