For the most part, John Cena doesn’t do much in WWE these days. The 16-time World Champion will hit the bigger dates, but it seems he and WWE are content with his sporadic status and Hollywood ambitions. However, Cena just finished he latest movie obligation, and while WWE has yet to confirm it, Cena is now totally free to be at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday.
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According to PWInsider Cena just wrapped up filming Playing With Fire in Vancouver, CB, a movie about a group of firefighters taking a group of siblings after rescuing them from a fire. It won’t come out until next March, but Cena will share the big screen with John Leguizamo, Judy Greer, Brianna Hildebrand, and Keegan-Michael Key.
Cena is reportedly set to wrestle at WM35, but no one is quite sure who his opponent will be. A few weeks ago, Cena seemed like a lock to retire Kurt Angle, but WWE opted for Baron Corbin instead — an unpopular decision for many fans. Cena has made several Instagram posts regarding Corbin vs. Angle, leading some to think Cena may wiggle his way into the match. However, consider all of that speculative at this point.
It’s fair to expect Cena thus Sunday, but what he’ll be doing looks like it will be kept a surprise. Regardless, this is the second-consecutive ‘Mania where Cena never once had solid plans. Last year, Cena left an open invitation to The Undertaker, which lead to him answering the Deadman’s gong from the WrestleMania 34 stands. Things may not be as hokey this year, but Cena will at least get 15 minutes of our undivided attention.
It certainly looks like Cena is being phased out of WWE, but he’s still just 41-years old. However with his Hollywood dreams, and the emergence of guys like Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, Cena seems to be well-aware that he’s not as needed as he used to be.
“It’s a giant relay race, and I’m in the phase where I’m handing the stick off. My time is up,” Cena told Sports Illustrated. “Someone else’s time is now.”
Those words sound like a goodbye but in early 2018. Cena vowed to ESPN he was a WWE lifer.
“I’m far from done with the WWE. The WWE will always be my home, but in this current state of affairs right now with all this extra cool stuff that’s going on, it’s fun to try. It’s a great time to be able to take a chance and I’m so eternally grateful to the WWE and its audience for bringing me to this point. I realize I’d be nowhere without them and I never forget them. I promise as soon as I have any sort of downtime, like I had when I was at the Greatest Royal Rumble and the string of shows I did before WrestleMania, anytime free time I get will not be free, it will be spent at my home in the WWE,” he said.
“I don’t feel like they’re dependent on me in any way. I think the program is riveting as it stands and there are so many gifted young performers that deserve a chance and have earned a chance so there couldn’t be a better time for me to take a break,” he said.
