Will John Cena return on SmackDown this week?
John Cena returned at Money in the Bank 2021 to kickstart "The Summer of Cena". It was a good month-long run that only saw him wrestle one televised match at SummerSlam 2021 against Roman Reigns.
After losing to Reigns at The Biggest Party of the Summer, he is out of the Universal Championship picture. But is Cena returning to SmackDown this week on August 27th? The unfortunate answer is no, he isn't.
He confirmed on social media a couple of days after SummerSlam that his WWE run is officially over for now:
PWInsider reported that minus a Madison Square Garden appearance, WWE is going forward without plans for John Cena:
"We are told that Cena is done with future WWE appearances due to filming commitments. Currently, Cena is only scheduled for the 9/10 Friday Night Smackdown taping at Madison Square Garden in New York City." Johnson added, "Beyond that, WWE is going forward with the understanding that he won't be available for them for the foreseeable future due to filming commitments. There is no timetable for another potential return, WWE sources confirmed this evening."
His profile in Hollywood grew considerably in 2021 with his important roles in Fast & Furious 9 as well as The Suicide Squad.
John Cena has been the most selfless part-timer in WWE
Ever since John Cena's transition into a part-time superstar in 2015, he has been nothing short of selfless. It's incredible to think that he hasn't been a full-time superstar in six years, but WWE will always have to move on to the next big thing.
Cena's loss to Roman Reigns is one of many since his move to Hollywood. He has been a lot more selfless when it comes to elevating other superstars, as he has with the likes of Bray Wyatt, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, etc.
"The Summer of Cena" was a great one and fans got to enjoy John Cena's matches that were usually post-RAW or SmackDown. Overall, it led to the highest-viewed SummerSlam in WWE history. Cena is certainly a needle mover.