John Cena Shifting WWE Role Was One of 2017's Underrated Stories

A metamorphosis continued for John Cena in 2017. The squared circle superhero's name wasn't on the WWE marquee as often as we've come to expect. And Cena, the once unstoppable force in jorts, has morphed into something more mortal.

While he remains the most recognizable face on the WWE roster, the 16-time world champion is not the franchise foundation he was once was.

His latest appearance speaks to that shift. On Monday's Raw, Cena didn't show up in the main event, the Universal Championship hunt or opposite the brand's biggest stars. Instead, the powerhouse popped up to have a word with Elias.

The guitar-slinging midcarder was in the middle of trashing Chicago when Cena made his return. 

The two men went back and forth on the mic before an official bout began. And while Cena defeated Elias, this was all clearly designed to get the new guy over.

In years past, Cena would have steamrolled someone like this, but on this night he and The Drifter looked almost like equals. The heel punished the 40-year-old for a good portion of the contest. 

As seen on CageMatch.net, Elias lasted 16 minutes with him.

And for a long time, one could almost guarantee a Cena win no matter the odds, no matter the opponent. But 2017, much like the year prior, saw The Face That Runs the Place lose in big spots.

Cena lost to Roman Reigns at No Mercy. He fell to Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown in August, to Bray Wyatt at Elimination Chamber and to the new-look Wyatt Family in January. In each case, WWE looked to launch emerging stars via victories over Cena. 

In that way, 2016 proved no fluke. Clean losses to AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose then stood out on Cena's resume.

This is all a clear departure from the days of Cena pounding WWE's evildoers into the ground. 

A .726 winning percentage may not seem like a step back, but there have been seven times since 2005 where he had at least a .850 mark. And his 41 defeats in the last two years is more than he had in 2005, 2012, 2013 and 2015 combined despite a lighter workload.

Cena was not as omnipresent in 2017 as he once was, either. He only twice fought in a pay-per-view main events through the year, at Elimination Chamber and Survivor Series. In both bouts, he was one of many men on a crowded stage.

Compare that to 2014 when he headlined six PPVs including SummerSlam.

His schedule greatly differs from the past, too. Gone are the days of Cena the workhorse. In 2017, he had 76 total bouts to his name. The former champ competed in 50 matches in 2016. In each of the seven years before that, though, he wrestled at least 130 times. 

The current version of Cena has more movie gigs, more TV appearances to attend to, more spaces in his WWE schedule. 

In 2017, he was gone in both May and June. And he only worked two total matches in October, November and December.

Cena is far from being a one-match-a-year star as Undertaker was at the end of his career, but a shift toward full-fledged part-time status is underway. WWE is relying on him less. When he's around, he's not assured his old dominant booking. 

That's just part of the natural course of things. Cena is 40 and gaining traction in the non-WWE world. The company, meanwhile, has gone full force with its push of Reigns. It has gotten behind Braun Strowman and given Kevin Owens a regular place in the spotlight.

As Cena has slowly slid out of his throne, younger men wait hungrily to take his seat for good.