WWE Rumors: John Cena's Return Date, Opponents Revealed, Full Appearance Schedule

John Cena has been away from the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) since his appearance at one of their overseas pay-per-view Super Show Down in Melbourne, Australia, but is expected to make a return before the end of the year.

The 16-time WWE champion has been busy with his filming commitments with martial arts legend Jackie Chan, while also making a trip to London to promote his upcoming project Bumblebee – spin-off of the Transformers franchise.

Cena was also conferred with the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award recently for his work with the Make-A-Wish foundation. The professional wrestler gained global popularity for his achievements in the squared circle, but of late he has been a part-time visitor to the WWE owing to his commitments in Hollywood.

The 41-year-old is expected to make a return to in-ring competition before the end of 2018 with the Mirror reporting that it will be on Boxing Day at the Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec.26. It is claimed that his first match upon his return will be a six-man tag team match.

He is expected to team up with Elias and Finn Balor and go up against Bobby Lashley - his teammate the last time he fought in the ring – Drew McIntyre and former ‘Monday Night Raw’ acting general manager Baron Corbin.

That will not be his only appearance, as he is scheduled for back-to-back appearances almost until mid-January. He is expected to follow up his six-man tag team match with a one-on-one confrontation with SmackDown Live star The Miz and then take on long-time rival Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura in a tag team match alongside WWE veteran Rey Mysterio.

After his regular main event appearances, the Mirror claims a potential appearance in the Royal Rumble is a possibility before a big build-up leading up to WWE’s flagship pay-per-view WrestleMania on April 7 at the MetLife Stadium in New York.

Cena was scheduled to appear at WWE’s controversial pay-per-view event Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, but pulled out of it in the last moment. And this has prompted WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley to suggest that company chairman Vince McMahon will not allow another superstar like the West Newbury-born wrestler.

Dudley believes the likes of Cena are a dying breed as the chairman is not keen to allow one wrestler as much influence as the likes of Cena, Dwane Johnson popularly known as "The Rock" and Stone Cold Steve Austin did during their heydays in the sports entertainment franchise.

"Seth Rollins has done it all and can do it all. But how come Seth Rollins is not at Cena level? How come he's not at Rock level? How come he's not at Austin level?" Dudley told the Jim Ross Report, as transcribed by the Mirror. "It's because I don't think they will ever allow anyone to get to that level again.

"Okay, so those three guys in their own way do what they wanted to do without Vince's approval. Steve was able to walk out and still come back and have a job. Rocky was able to walk away and become the biggest star in Hollywood. And John, my God! He just won the Muhammad Ali Award,” he explained.

"He [has] granted more wishes than anybody on the planet. I mean, he walks on water when it comes to the WWE. And he was able to tell Vince, 'I'm not [going to Saudi Arabia].' I don't think they're ever going to let anybody get to that level again where they have control or say,” he added.

John Cena’s upcoming WWE schedule in full: Source - Mirror

Dec 26: Madison Square Garden, New York,

Dec 27: Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, New York

Dec 28: Royals Farms Arena, Baltimore

Dec 29: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh

Dec 30: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida

Jan 4: Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, Georgia

Jan 5: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, Tallahassee, Florida

Jan 6: Hertz Arena, Ft. Myers, Florida

Jan 7: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida (WWE RAW)

Jan 11: Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, West Virginia

Jan 12: Knoxville Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, Tennessee