Highlights
- John Cena's return to WWE is highly anticipated, and WWE should prioritize a match against the reigning Intercontinental Champion, Gunther, to maximize the star power and benefit both wrestlers.
- The match between Gunther and Cena makes sense, as winning the Intercontinental Championship would complete Cena's career Grand Slam. Cena's history of overcoming odds adds tension and excitement to the match.
- WWE needs to effectively use Cena's return and build up to this match, which can easily transition from Cena's tag team match with Seth Rollins at the Superstar Spectacle event. It's crucial for WWE to prioritize this match rather than choosing other options.
WWE has recently announced that John Cena will be making a comeback, appearing on SmackDown ahead of the Payback PPV, going over to India for the Superstar Spectacle event, and then appearing at subsequent weeks of SmackDown, though it hasn’t yet been made clear if these are just dark matches for the live crowd or appearing on the actual show. Even though the current brand split is in place, WWE should prioritize one match and feud for Cena, and that is against the reigning Intercontinental Champion, Gunther. There are an array of reasons for making this match a reality, as it would be hugely beneficial for the Ring General.
John Cena Is Returning To WWE For Two Months
With John Cena’s Hollywood commitments and growing age, it isn’t entirely clear how many more times he will return to WWE. However, every year he keeps coming back at least once or twice, with this marking his second run of 2023, after previously losing at WrestleMania 39 to Austin Theory in a match for the United States Championship. In some of Cena’s previous runs, he has predominantly competed in dark matches rather than on TV, saving his appearances in televised bouts for PPVs. This will likely be the case once again with him being announced for eight weeks of SmackDown in the coming two months.
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There are a variety of opponents who would be great to put in the ring with Cena to either get a rub or gain experience, with the likes of Grayson Waller, Dominik Mysterio, and Solo Sikoa perhaps being among the younger names who can still learn a great deal from one of the greatest of all time. However, to maximize Cena’s return, he needs to face Gunther. It is a match that has a lot of star power on show, and it would make sense on multiple fronts if the match built up. WWE may not have many more chances to use Cena, so they need to make the most of every chance they get, so booking this match is a necessity.
Gunther Vs. John Cena Makes Perfect Sense
A feud between Gunther and John Cena makes a ton of sense on paper. The Intercontinental Championship is the only big title that Cena has never won throughout the entirety of his career, and for someone with so much success, getting this one elusive belt would be something his character would be interested in for sure. It would allow Cena to complete the Grand Slam which he has surprisingly not accomplished.
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There is no doubt that Gunther should win this feud, but one thing that has been commonplace throughout a lot of his record-breaking run as Intercontinental Champion is an air of predictability in his defenses. Against Cena, the very nature of the 16-time world champion creates unpredictability and suspense. Cena has a history of overcoming the odds and being the one to beat unstoppable monsters, doing so against Umaga, Rusev, Bray Wyatt, and more over the years. This would add a lot of tension into the match, helping to carry a lot of excitement.
Gunther already has an all-time classic Intercontinental Title reign under his belt, defeating the likes of Rey Mysterio, Sheamus, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Chad Gable during his time with the gold, but adding a name like Cena to that list will take it to the next level for sure, especially if he puts in a dominant showing. Unlike Austin Theory, who Cena noted on the NotSam podcast with Sam Roberts that he didn’t buy into Theory due to him not feeling authentic, Gunther is the complete opposite and no doubt carries believability in what he is doing, meaning he will benefit from a major victory.
WWE Needs To Use John Cena Effectively
Building to this match is easy, especially when you look at what is scheduled for Cena’s first match back. He is set to team with Seth Rollins to take on Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser and Giovani Vinci) at the Superstar Spectacle event in India, and given that the pair are teammates with Gunther, this could easily transition into a feud between Cena and Gunther.
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WWE doesn’t have a whole load of dream matches on the table with its current stock of talent due to the lack of larger than life names, so using Cena in a role to tick the boxes of big-time encounters is the correct move. Whether it be on SmackDown, Raw, or even the upcoming Fastlane or Survivor Series PPVs, this match needs to happen, and WWE will be making a big mistake if they decide to do something else instead.
