John Cena's in-ring career as a WWE Superstar is starting to wind down and the clock is ticking on him getting a final main event run. The last time we saw him, Solo Sikoa had laid waste to the fan-favourite babyface, continuing a losing streak which suggests WWE now views him as an enhancement talent to put over younger stars.
Last year saw Cena lose to Austin Theory at WrestleMania, team with LA Knight during his rise up the card, and, as mentioned, take a beating from Sikoa.
What does 2024 hold in store for the 16-time WWE Champion? According to Dave Meltzer, there has been some talk of Cena appearing at this April's Showcase of the Immortals, but likely not for a match.
"It’s basically up to his acting schedule and if there is something going on," he claims in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. "If there is, he may appear but couldn’t do anything that would be deemed a risk. We were told that if he does appear, the idea is to do something fun, short and memorable and with substance."
Cena has several acting gigs on the horizon, including a second season of DC's Peacemaker.
Earlier this year, he said this about his future in WWE:
"I’m not officially done. I know that I’m close. I’m close. I can feel it. Especially seeing you [Logan Paul] out there, doing incredible stuff. Our talent now, the product has become so crisp and so fast and so skilled. It is a different world. I love and I still feel fluent. I would like to say goodbye when I still feel fluent. It’s coming and to the point where…you know the moment in the sunset where it starts to go down, ‘Man, it’s going down real fast.’ That’s kind of where I’m at. I’m not done, but I need to decide when I am."
As for whether he'd ever consider taking on a backstage role in the company, it sounds like Cena has a greater interest in continuing his acting career and doing what he can to help WWE when called upon.
"No. What I would love to give to the business is my time. I live very close to the Performance Center and I would like to go in as a guest and that way I’m not obligated and they’re not obligated in any way. It’s stuff I do on my free time anyway. I love going in and picking people’s brains and have conversations. ‘So, who are you?’ ‘What does that have to do with anything?’ ‘Only everything. Let’s talk.’"
"I enjoy that. Doing half a day there and then going back to normal life. I’m fortunate enough to have some other stuff going on and I’ll be focusing on that too, but I always want to be involved in the business. I get so passionate about it and it’s something that I love and I think I have a few pieces of wisdom that need to be passed on, I don’t think it should die with me. I’ll try to do that the best I can."
Stay tuned for updates.