John Cena will make a triumphant return to WWE later this month to celebrate his 20th anniversary. The 16-time world champion will appear on Raw in Loredo, Texas on June 27, exactly two decades after his first appearance in the company.
The 44-year-old’s last WWE TV appearance came at SummerSlam in 2021, where he was defeated by Roman Reigns in a Universal championship match. He did return on September 10 for a dark main event after an episode of SmackDown at Madison Square Garden, teaming up with The Mysterios for a six-man win over The Bloodline.
The leader of the Cenation is thrilled to grace the WWE crowds with his presence once again as he hyped up his upcoming return on twitter. “Been far too long and what a special occasion to be able to spend with the @WWEUniverse! Laredo, TX, C U soon!!! #WWERaw #CenaMonth,” he wrote.
WWE took to their social media accounts and penned: “@JohnCena returns to #WWERaw on Monday, June 27 to celebrate his 20 Year Anniversary with @WWE.” It is unclear if Cena will be back for a short run or whether he will feature on just that night, but he has made it clear he would like a shot at rising star Theory.
The 24-year-old is the current United States champion and back in April he claimed he was a “better US champ” than the legend himself. In fact, Cena gave Theory a ringing endorsement in response to his cheeky tweet. “Everyone understands that you have far more talent, strength, and gifts than I ever had. Don’t apologise for that. Ever," he began.
“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.” But during a quickfire Q&A, when asked if there was a superstar who he would like to deliver his trademark ‘Attitude Adjustment’ finishing move to, the icon simply stated: “Theory”, before gesturing that he was keeping his eyes on the selfie king.
Theory does indeed possess some of the charisma and swagger that Cena had during the same stage of his career, and with the boss Mr. McMahon in his corner, the sky's the limit for the young superstar and, should the pair clash in the ring at some point, it would make for a thrilling contest.
Cena made his WWE television debut on June 27 2002 on an episode of SmackDown! by answering an open challenge by Kurt Angle. After declaring he possessed "ruthless aggression", he went on to lose a match with the Olympic gold medallist, but managed to put on a good showing.
After the match, he was congratulated by Billy Kidman, Faarooq, Rikishi, and none other than the WWE champion at the time: The Undertaker, who shook his hand and said “nice job.” Since then, Cena has gone on to win a staggering 16 WWE world titles, two Royal Rumbles and claimed the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2012.
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He has main-evented WrestleMania five times, two which came in blockbuster matches against The Rock. Cena is widely regarded as the last megastar WWE ever produced and that was proven with the raucous reception he received during an unexpected return at the Money in the Bank last June. This year he will reappear on WWE programming less than a week before the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, and we can expect another rapturous reception for the future Hall-of-Famer.
