John Cena Slated To Return To Smackdown After Paying Respects To Bray Wyatt

This past weekend of wrestling was filled with tributes dedicated to Windham Rotunda, a.k.a. Bray Wyatt. From WWE, to AEW, even IMPACT wrestling, Wyatt’s touch, creativity, influence, & kindness was known far and wide. But you know that famous saying in show business, “The show must go on”.

Well, what better way to practice that quote by having one of the biggest, most successful superstars in WWE history return to action for an extended period of time? WWE has announced that 16-time World Champion – John Cena – makes his return to Smackdown this Friday at The Giant Center. This isn’t just some one-off appearance, either.

Cena’s scheduled to make appearances for seven straight weeks. Here are the dates:

Friday, September 1: Hershey, Pennsylvania – The Giant Center
Friday, September 14: Denver, Colorado – Ball Arena
Friday, September 22: Glendale, Arizona – Desert Diamond Arena
Friday, September 29: Sacramento, California – Golden 1 Center
Friday, October 6: St. Louis, Missouri – Enterprise Center
Friday, October 13: Tulsa, Oklahoma – BOK Center
Friday, October 20: San Antonio, Texas – AT&T Center

Friday, October 27: Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Fiserv Forum

The last time we saw Cena in a WWE ring, he shared a ring with upcoming star Grayson Waller and the two delivered a strong promo. WWE made in additional statement, according to Wrestling Observer:

“Throughout his SmackDown return, Cena in partnership with Make-A-Wish will host children and their families in each of the eight cities to experience a WWE event in-person,” WWE wrote.

Cena was one of several wrestlers to give his condolences to Wyatt over the weekend. The two men had one of the most memorable matches in Wrestlemania history back in 2020, and Cena made sure the wrestling world didn’t forget it when he posted on his Instagram.

“Devastated by the news of the passing of Windham Rotunda. My heart goes out to the entire Rotunda family. Windham brought the best out of me in so many ways. I’m forever grateful for the moments we shared. A sad day for all those he reached around the world. RIP.”

https://twitter.com/meloismone/status/1696241334540189851?s=20

Devastated by the news of the passing of Windham Rotunda. My heart goes out to the entire Rotunda family. Windham brought the best out of me in so many ways. I’m forever grateful for the moments we shared. A sad day for all those he reached around the world. RIP.

— John Cena (@JohnCena) August 25, 2023