WWE John Cena
John Cena, pictured at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon on March 30, 2017 in Las Vegas, will make his WWE return on “SmackDown Live,” but he could face a member of the “Monday Night Raw” roster at SummerSlam 2017. Getty Images

John Cena is returning to “SmackDown Live,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be there for long. The 16-time world champion is no longer a permanent member of the blue brand, and he could potentially join the “Monday Night Raw” roster.

Cena hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since WrestleMania 33, where he teamed up with fiancee Nikki Bella to defeat The Miz and Maryse. Cena is advertized to make his way back into the ring on the July 4 episode of “SmackDown Live,” but’s he’s been described as a “free agent” in a video WWE put together to hype his return.

READ: WWE Money In The Bank 2017 Predictions

When WWE reintroduced the brand split in July of last year, “Smackdown Live” commissioner Shane McMahon and general manager Daniel Bryan used the seventh overall pick and the brand’s third selection to take Cena. He had feuds exclusively with “SmackDown Live” performers like AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose, holding the brand’s top championship for a short while.

Cena wasn’t a part of WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up that took place the week after WrestleMania 33. While Ambrose, The Miz, Bray Wyatt and others headed to “Monday Night Raw,” Cena’s name wasn’t mentioned.

Now, it appears that both brands have a chance to claim Cena as their own. It’s unknown when an official decision regarding Cena’s home might be made, but it could happen shortly before SummerSlam 2017, setting up his match at the biggest remaining event of the year.

Cena and Styles stole the show at SummerSlam a year ago, putting on arguably the best match of 2016. If Cena was to return to “SmackDown Live” permanently, his list of possible SummerSlam opponents would not be very large.

Assuming Jinder Mahal retains the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank, Cena could challenge the champion for his title at Barclays Center in August. A feud with Baron Corbin would also make sense, but that’s about it as far as heels go. Cena has already had major programs with Kevin Owens and Rusev within the last two years, leaving few heels for him to work with.

The one “SmackDown Live” babyface that could work in a feud against Cena might be Shinsuke Nakamura, but the Japanese star isn’t established enough in WWE. That could mean Cena is headed to “Monday Night Raw,” opening the possibilities for fresh matchups in the second half of 2017.

Samoa Joe will take on Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship at Great Balls of Fire on July 9, though he isn’t expected to win the title. If Joe isn’t able to defeat Lesnar, a feud with Cena that leads into SummerSlam might qualify as a worthy consolation prize.

READ: Early SummerSlam 2017 Predictions

Roman Reigns isn’t a heel, but the crowd would certainly treat him like one in a match against Cena. It’s a match that’s big enough to be the main event of WrestleMania, but with Reigns-Lesnar potentially headlining next year’s show in New Orleans, maybe WWE would consider putting it on this year’s SummerSlam card. Could that have something to do with Reigns’ announcement regarding SummerSlam that WWE has promoted for the next episode of “Monday Night Raw?”

There are a lot of questions surrounding Cena’s future in WWE, and it’s definitely not a bad thing.

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