WWE Rumors: John Cena Return Dates Revealed

Sixteen-time WWE champion John Cena is set to return to the company next month during the festive period.

Cena hasn't wrestled since he teamed up with Bobby Lashley to defeat Elias and Kevin Owens at last month's WWE Super Show-Down event in Melbourne, Australia.

However, PWInsider has confirmed he will appear in the following events in December:

• Raw live event on Dec. 26 in Madison Square Garden, New York.
• Smackdown live event on Dec. 27 at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York.
• Smackdown live event on Dec. 28 in Baltimore, Maryland.
• Smackdown live event on Dec. 29 in Tampa, Florida.

These appearances will come just a few days after the release of his film "Transformers: Bumblebee" on Dec. 21 in the United States.

It must be noted that these are simply live events and not official WWE programming as Cena continues to be a part-time superstar.

The 41-year-old has only wrestled 15 times in the calendar year so far with his last appearance before the WWE Super Show-Down event being April's Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia. His last appearance on official WWE programming was during Wrestlemania 34 when he lost to the Undertaker earlier that month.

He slowly made the transition into a part-timer in 2016, following 14 years of full-time activity, and has seen his schedule significantly reduce since then as he continues venturing into the world of Hollywood and television. In an interview last month, he also revealed at his age, it's no longer feasible for him to be a full-time superstar.

“Full disclosure I can’t run at the full commanding schedule at 41-years-old as a current WWE Superstar. They go every day all the time and it is a young man’s game," he said, as quoted on RingsideNews.com. “There are some folks out there because of what I’ve said and done in the past they’re like, ‘Oh you’re hypocritical.’ I’m old guys, I’m old. I’m 41 and performing 310 times a year isn’t what’s best for my overall health.”

“I want to be able to run the streets at 80 instead of hobbling around so I’m at a point in my life where I got to think a little bit long-term. That doesn’t mean I’m leaving WWE — I’ll never leave WWE it’s my home but right not I need to think of my overall health and right now this is the best plan for me,” he said.

There's also the fact that signing up to do movies includes insurance policies that prevent him from competing in the run as he revealed in the past.

However, one can expect Cena to make more regular appearances when the new year begins, especially when Wrestlemania season starts with the Royal Rumble in January.

Wrestlemania 35 takes place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on April 7.