Whether it was for ratings or because it was the plan all along, WWE intends on bringing John Cena back to programming as early as next month.It was revealed earlier this year that Cena will be taking time off from the company as his outside projects – such as American Grit – required more of his time while offers from Hollywood continue to pour in.

CENA'S RETURN

Last week on SmackDown LIVE, it was confirmed that the 16-time world champion will return on the July 4 episode, so it comes as no surprise that fans are immediately putting two and two together and speculating that he could face off against Jinder Mahal right away.

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However, this week on Monday Night RAW, Michael Cole dropped an interesting reference which has fans wondering what the future could hold for Cena.

Cole claimed that Cena is now a free agent, meaning he’s no longer exclusive to the SmackDown roster, despite making his return on the blue brand next month.

PWInsider has released some information on why this is happening, and what it could mean going forward.

The source is claiming that was reportedly a creative pitch amongst officials for Cena to be able to show up from brand to brand, meaning he won’t be tied down to SmackDown LIVE or RAW and that will make him the only superstar on the roster with that kind of freedom.

FREE AGENT

Now that Cole mentioned it this week, it’s obvious that WWE is going ahead with it so we should expect Cena to make his presence felt on Kurt Angle’s show down the line too.

This move means WWE can utilise him on either brand for any storyline, to put someone over and generally give them a ratings boost with his presence, as has proven to be the case in the past.

While The Modern Day Maharaja has been speculated as a possible opponent for Cena upon his return, rumours are also circulating that Cena’s free agency links in to an announcement Roman Reigns will make on RAW next week.

It was revealed that The Big Dog has a huge announcement of his own to make for SummerSlam, and it’s led many to believe that after defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, he could turn his attention to Cena at the biggest party of the summer.

Regardless of your feelings towards Cena, it’s clear just how highly WWE values him and how he’s still required to play an integral role when he’s needed the most.

What do you think WWE has planned for John Cena’s ‘free agency?’ Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the third episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here! Check it out via this link. https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-all-the-fallout-from-wwe-payback

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