John Cena surprised many wrestling fans when he announced a New Year's Eve match on SmackDown. However, any devotee with an eye on the wrestling rumors may not have been so surprised given that there's a chance Cena will be back for WrestleMania 39. Rumors have spread in recent months about the WWE's apparent plans for him, including his reported opponent in the event that it happens. However, a new piece of news suggests that those alleged plans have just gotten complicated.
A report from Fightful Select alleges that John Cena filmed an additional segment for the WWE with another wrestler when he went to compete on SmackDown (via SE Scoops). Austin Theory was originally slated to main event the WWE Live tour in Toronto opposite Seth Rollins but was reportedly pulled from the show and flown back to Tampa Bay -- where SmackDown took place -- to film a segment with Cena.
According to the story, it's unclear as to what he and Austin Theory filmed and, with the rumors that the actor is possibly entering the ring at WrestleMania, one can't help but wonder. The Hollywood star is, of course, a busy person, so it's possible that something between the two was filmed in advance for use weeks down the road in order to build some kind of conflict between him and Theory for WrestleMania 39. There have been past rumors of Cena and Theory feuding, so it wouldn't be all that surprising to see them meet in the ring.
At the same time, there have also been rumors suggesting that The Champ already had an opponent planned for WrestleMania 39, Logan Paul. Paul has seemingly managed to impress everyone in the WWE with his skills in the ring thus far but has been sidelined with an injury ever since his match at Crown Jewel against Roman Reigns.
Originally, it seemed like Logan Paul would be out for a while, but his brother, Jake Paul, revealed that the injury wasn't as bad as doctors originally feared. It's looking like Logan could be ready to return to the WWE well ahead of WrestleMania and take on the Suicide Squad alum. Perhaps the purported footage shot with Austin Theory was just filmed as a contingency in case Paul isn't OK in time or could be an indicator that Paul won't be ready to wrestle by then.
It's really hard to speculate on much of anything here because, at the end of the day, fans still don't know if John Cena will compete at WrestleMania 39. What we do know is that Cena went out of his way to wrestle at the end of 2022 and that he seems to enjoy himself every time he rejoins his fellow superstars. The WWE would, of course, love to have him compete at WrestleMania 39 as much as it would The Rock, so it's not too much of a stretch to think that something is in the works. Whether Cena's opponent would be Logan Paul or Austin Theory is a different story and, honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing a triple-threat match involving all three.
We'll still have to wait a while before learning what the WWE may or may not have in store for John Cena at WrestleMania 39. Check out some of his greatest matches using a Peacock Premium subscription in the meantime, and keep an eye out for more details regarding his potential return.
