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John Cena WWE Return Rumors, Mandy Rose NXT Buzz, Alexa Bliss on Murphy's Release
July 14, 2021
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
John Cena's Return Date Reportedly Set
Amid speculation that the SummerSlam main event will feature Roman Reigns taking on John Cena, the leader of the Cenation is reportedly expected to make his return to WWE television very soon.
Per Fightful Select (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.), Cena is expected to be on the July 23 episode of SmackDown from Cleveland, Ohio.
In the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Andrew Ravens of WrestlingNews.co), Dave Meltzer reported Cena vs. Reigns is "locked in" as the main event for the Aug. 21 pay-per-view from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
While he remains under contract to WWE, Cena has worked a reduced schedule in recent years to focus on acting projects. He was seen in the latest in the Fast and Furious movie franchise F9 that was released in the United States on June 25.
There was speculation that Cena's casting in a new movie could impact his return, but Meltzer reported on Monday's Wrestling Observer Radio that the filming schedule won't impede his ability to appear on WWE television.
Cena hasn't been on WWE television since losing to "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Funhouse match at WrestleMania 36 on April 5, 2020.
Mandy Rose Traded to NXT?
Following a surprise appearance on Tuesday's episode of NXT, Mandy Rose may become a permanent staple on the brand going forward.
According to WrestleVotes on Twitter, Rose has been traded from Raw to NXT in exchange for Aliyah.
Rose appeared on the stage to watch the Sarray-Gigi Dolin match. She stayed until the end to watch Sarray score the win before going backstage.
Rose has been on Raw since September after being acquired in a trade with SmackDown. She has spent most of this year in a tag team with Dana Brooke. The duo had been engaged in a feud with Natalya and Tamina over the WWE women's tag titles.
If Rose's move to NXT is permanent, it's unclear how this will impact her partnership with Brooke and what the next step for Natalya and Tamina in the women's tag division will be.
Rose began her career in WWE in 2015 after being a contestant on Tough Enough. She worked on NXT for two years before being called up to the main roster in 2017 as a member of Absolution, alongside Sonya Deville and Paige.
Alexa Bliss Responds to Buddy Murphy
Outside of the wild world of WWE, Buddy Murphy and Alexa Bliss were in a romantic relationship and were briefly engaged before splitting up in September 2018.
There certainly doesn't appear to be any hard feelings, as Murphy spoke very positively about Bliss' impact on his life and helping him acclimate to life in the United States during an interview with Chris Van Vliet.
Bliss responded to Murphy's comments on Twitter:
Bliss continues to be a featured star on Raw, as she recently began a feud with Eva Marie and Doudrop after defeating Shayna Baszler at Hell in a Cell.
Murphy was among six superstars released by WWE on June 2. He will make his return to the ring on Sept. 18 against Brian Cage for Battleground Championship Wrestling at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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