There has been no shortage of rumors surrounding John Cena and the upcoming Survivor Series show. Cena’s Hollywood responsibilities, though, were said to keep him out of competition until December. But it looks like Cena and WWE found a loophole.
According to PWInsider, John Cena is expected to be the special guest referee in the Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal match at Survivor Series. This has a number of implications that need to be addressed.
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Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman will be at RAW tonight, likely with the sole intention of accepting Jinder Mahal’s Survivor Series challenge. Once that happens, the next step will be for WWE to pick Cena’s spot to come in and make his own special announcement. This likely won’t happen for an at least another week.
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Seeing that Lesnar is thoroughly attached to Roman Reigns for WrestleMania, it looks like Cena’s involvement may be used to launch a program between he and Mahal. This would fit nicely in their WrestleMania puzzle as Mahal called out John Cena during a Facebook live interview just the other day.
“At WrestleMania 34, I would like to face John Cena for my WWE Championship,” state the WWE Champion. “It could happen because I fully intend on being WWE Champion come to WrestleMania and even after WrestleMania. So, John Cena, let’s say this is an official challenge to you,” said Mahal.
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While it was a casual setting this feels like a scripted response. For Mahal to officially lay down a challenge to Cena, he would nearly need WWE permission to do so. Mahal and Cena have been loosely linked dating back to June. Rumors had them squaring off at SummerSlam, but WWE chose to elevate Shinsuke Nakamura instead.
Cena’s schedule is the hint that he and Mahal may enter a feud. While WrestleMania may be likely, it’s also possible that Cena gets a shot at the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. His December schedule leaves room for this logic to wiggle.
– Tue. Dec 26: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY (RAW)
– Wed. Dec 27: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY (RAW)- Fri. Dec 29: Times Union Center, Albany, NY (RAW)
– Sat. Dec 30: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL (SmackDown)
We’re handcuffed to speculation, but Cneas participation at Survivor Series will be used to develop a storyline. Odds are, it will be with Mahal.
