WWE legend John Cena has been open about wanting to return to the squared circle at some point. The wrestler turned actor’s Hollywood career is rolling right now, but a new back-and-forth exchange with a rising WWE star has fans speculating about a possible return to the ring at SummerSlam.
The exchange in question happened with Austin Theory, who recently had a match with breakout star Pat McAfee at WrestleMania. Vince McMahon was in his corner during the match and buzz on the street is that the WWE owner is really high on the 24 year old. Theory initially tweeted a video of himself telling a little kid in a Cena shirt that he’s a better US Champion than Cena ever was. The backhanded happy birthday wish caught the attention of fans and of Cena himself, who responded on Twitter with a hybrid compliment and a sort of threat about unfulfilled potential. You can read his quote here…
Everyone understands that you have far more talent, strength, and gifts than I ever had. Don’t apologize for that. Ever. An apology should come 20 years from now if you fail to provide the EFFORT needed to turn your potential into your legacy. I hope that day never comes.
Of course fans are loving this and already fantasy booking a match between the two at SummerSlam. Someone even made a poster. I’ll be the first to admit we, as wrestling fans, can sometimes get ahead of ourselves predicting these things, but I actually think this isn’t the most outlandish theory in the world. Let’s break it down.
First, word has leaked out over the past few days that McMahon allegedly sees Theory as a young John Cena. That’s a hell of a compliment, but also, sometimes WWE uses these alleged backstage leaks to tease something that is coming. Second, Cena has been very open about returning to the ring until he's physically unable to put on a good show. He really loves wrestling and has returned several times since he left for Hollywood to compete in matches. Third, this back-and-forth exchange feels like it’s working to build some heat between the two. So, yeah, until we hear otherwise, I think wrestling fans should speculate away.
That being said, there are still a lot of reasons to believe this won’t happen. In case you haven’t noticed, Cena’s Hollywood career is going really freaking well right now. I’m not sure he’s ever had as much positive buzz as he does right now after the whole world loved Peacemaker, even going nuts over its intro. In addition, while Theory (he recently dropped the Austin) should be a future star, he’s not exactly Brock Lesnar right now. If Cena was coming back for another match, Theory probably isn’t the first person I would have jumped to.
We’ll just have to wait and see where this goes. If nothing else, however, I think this goes to show everyone would like to see John Cena back again, and the future looks incredibly bright for Austin Theory, who is both a tremendous heel and has so many physical tools inside the ring. If all goes well, he should be wrestling in huge matches at premium live events for the next two decades, whether it’s with Cena or not.
