John Cena had a busy year outside the WWE as he hosted several shows and filmed movies and TV series. He has been out of WWE television since October but his return to SmackDown Live has been finally announced.
In the recent episode of SmackDown Live, it was announced that Cena is returning to SmackDown Live on the December 27 episode. It will be the last SmackDown Live of the year and it is going to held in Chicago, Illinois.
IN TWO WEEKS: @JohnCena RETURNS to @WWE #SDLive, LIVE from Chicago! pic.twitter.com/i9VZ1qcqaH
— WWE (@WWE) December 14, 2016
According to Cageside Seats, the WWE is going all in on the final SmackDown of the year because A.J. Styles will defend the WWE championship on the same night. Styles will face Dolph Ziggler, who won a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match this past Tuesday.
There is still no word on who Cena will feud with when he returns but many expect it to be against A.J. Styles. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer told the Live Audio Wrestling podcast (h/t The Inquisitr) that it is indeed the current plan for the 15-time WWE world champion.
"Where AJ goes... I mean, the Ellsworth thing isn't gonna be a house show program, and AJ is gonna be waiting for Cena when he gets back, which is right after Christmas. So, it looks like Cena vs. Styles is where we're going," Meltzer said.
It makes sense for John Cena to go after A.J. Styles since he is 0-2 in one-on-one matches this year. The WWE has been looking to give the 39-year-old superstar his 16th WWE world title win to tie Ric Flair's record.
The perfect place to do it is at WrestleMania 33 but there were also reported plans for a feud with The Undertaker. Cena vs. Taker is a dream match for many since it might be The Deadman's retirement match and it is a huge draw just like Cena vs. Styles III.
