John Cena’s frequent sabbaticals from WWE lend themselves to a trend that has him making a permanent departure from the company. However, the 16-time World Champion says WWE will always remain a priority in his life.
In an interview with ESPN, Cena discussed his sporadic wrestling schedule but assured that WWE represents an unbreakable bond for him.
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“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.”
Cena believes that his current hiatus comes at a time that benefits WWE’s ecosystem. Perhaps more than ever, WWE is loaded with high caliber talent, making it easy for Cena to bow out for an extended period. By stepping away, Cena’s absence creates opportunities for up and coming Superstars.
“This is a very fortunate time for me because there are so many opportunities for me, which is fantastic, but on the other side of the coin there are so many gifted superstars in the WWE and it’s the best it has ever been. I don’t feel at all as if I’m short-changing the WWE Universe. 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.”
While Cena made WWE’s big dates in April, we haven’t seen him since. Even more, all signs indicate this being a prolonged stint away from the ring—possibly until August’s SummerSlam.
Even though fans may groan at Cena’s expanding reputation of becoming the dreaded “part-timer” every Hollywood gig he lands is good for WWE. When he does return, he’ll b even ore of blockbuster name, making his next opponent a very lucky wrestler.
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