John Cena, arguably WWE's most popular wrestler of the past decade, has been missing in action for the entirety of the year due to his shoulder injury and his acting projects. There are rumors that he might return this December. But if he does return, don't expect John Cena to stay for long as he might be set for a retirement and shift to acting.
John Cena already has a lot on his plate even with his injuries. In his absence from the WWE, John Cena has had several projects that made him busy in the meantime. This includes shooting for his television show American Grit. He then has a comedy movie to shoot in 2017 with Leslie Mann called The Pact. Next he would have to do promotion for his movie The Wall which launches right before WrestleMania 33. Its no surprise then that there are rumors of John Cena switching to the more lucrative career in acting.
The only thing that's stopping John Cena from retiring is matching Ric Flair's legendary record of 16 world titles. If he does return soon, expect John Cena to win the title probably in Royal Rumble and retire soon afterwards at WrestleMania.
Wrestlers who have transitioned to acting after a successful career in the WWE is nothing new for wrestlers. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was the one of the most popular wrestlers during his time. But as his wrestling career has shown, The Rock has proven to have the talent captivate fans through his brilliant mic work. It's no wonder that The Rock has a successful career in acting now and is known as the 'franchise viagra' who is able to revive dying franchises back to relevancy. Now it looks like John Cena is about to follow The Rock's footsteps and make a career out of acting.
Meanwhile, the WWE has already foreseen John Cena's departure. Jim Ross has said that John Cena will never wrestle full time which will signal the end of his era. In the meantime, WWE has groomed some possible replacements of John Cena and become the WWE's top man. Roman Reigns is already being groomed as his replace but the fan's lukewarm reaction with him might be the dealbreaker. Seth Rollins and The Miz are also possible replacements for John Cena.
Whatever John Cena's decision with his career, he will always be remembered as one of the greatest of all time and is a sure hall of famer. Although there are possible replacements for John Cena who are willing to carry the torch and do it well, there can only be one John Cena.
