John Cena is getting ready to compete in a big WWE singles match. According to PEOPLE, the 16-time world champion is set to announce Friday that he will face Solo Sikoa at WWE’s Crown Jewel premium live event on Nov. 4. It will be the first singles match for Cena since losing to Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39 in April.
Cena took time off from WWE following the WrestleMania match and returned in late August. Since his return, the 46-year-old has competed in a handful of tag team matchups. Last month, Cena was a special guest referee during WWE’s Payback event.
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“Cena is energized by the idea of working with younger talent,” a WWE source tells PEOPLE. Cena will likely announce the match during WWE SmackDown on Friday night. The source told PEOPLE that Cena “has been blown away by the response from the WWE Universe” since returning for his most recent run.
Cena has not retired from professional wrestling but has seen limited action in the ring since transitioning to acting. Over the years, Cena has starred in multiple movies and TV shows and appears in a new flim with Alison Brie called , which is out in theatres now. It’s one of six 2023 movies Cena stars in with the other five being Fast X, Barbie, Hidden Strike, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Vacation Friends 2.
In an interview with British GQ in 2022, Cena talked about missing the touring lifestyle of wrestling full-time. “I was very fortunate to make it as long as I did with only a minor list of injuries,” he said. “Nothing that has changed the trajectory of my long-term health. I’m strong, flexible, and in really good shape externally, internally. I think now, being a full-time touring performer might start to hit that point of diminishing returns, and I have to be realistic when I look at that.”
Cena also talked about not worrying about the separation between John Cena the character and John Cena the person. “I don’t care how many times I gotta wave my hand across my face,” he said. “It’s given me a great life. It’s allowed me to do what I do passionately, and it’s allowed me to meet wonderful people throughout the world, it’s given me the perspective I have, and I will never get tired of that.”
