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WWE Rumors on John Cena, Alexa Bliss Not Attending WrestleMania 38; Edge Talks Future
April 6, 2022
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Reason for Cena's WrestleMania Absence
John Cena was never scheduled to be part of WrestleMania 38, but unlike many WWE legends, he wasn't part of the weekend festivities in Dallas at all.
According to PWInsider.com (h/t Bhupen Dange of ThirstyForNews.com), Cena was not available WrestleMania weekend because of a movie project.
Cena was reportedly filming a movie called Coyote vs. ACME in New Mexico.
Per Justin Kroll of Deadline.com, Coyote vs. ACME is a live-action animated hybrid that will focus on Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote and his attempt to sue ACME because of the company's products not working in his attempts to catch the Roadrunner.
Former Saturday Night Live star Will Forte will play Wile E. Coyote's lawyer in the movie, while Cena is cast as Forte's character's former boss.
Cena was once a WWE and WrestleMania staple for nearly two decades, but that hasn't been the case in recent years, as he has only competed at one of the past four WrestleManias.
After making a non-wrestling appearance at WrestleMania 35, the 16-time world champion faced Bray Wyatt in a losing effort at WrestleMania 36, which was held at the WWE Performance Center with no fans in attendance because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cena did not appear at WrestleMania 37 or 38, but he did have a stint with WWE last summer, facing Roman Reigns at SummerSlam for the Universal Championship.
It is unclear when Cena will be back in the fold for WWE given his acting commitments, but he has always said that he will keep coming back to WWE for as long as he can because of his love for the company.
Bliss Reportedly Wasn't Present for WrestleMania
While Cena being absent from WrestleMania wasn't necessarily a surprise, it does raise some eyebrows when a main roster member isn't in town for the event even if they aren't scheduled for the show.
That was apparently the case with Alexa Bliss, as PWInsider.com (h/t WrestlingInc's Sai Mohan) reported that she wasn't in Dallas at all for WrestleMania weekend.
That might lead some to believe that WWE has soured on Bliss, but as pointed out by Mohan, WWE had an Alexa's Playground set up at WrestleMania Axxess that fans could have their photo taken in front of, which suggests the company is still invested in her character.
After Bliss lost a Raw Women's Championship match against Charlotte Flair last September, she was kept off television for a few months before resurfacing in a series of vignettes on Raw.
In the vignettes, Bliss was taking part in therapy sessions in an effort to rid herself of the evil persona she gained while partnered with The Fiend.
That led to Bliss being placed in an Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in February to determine Becky Lynch's opponent for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania.
Alexa was among the final two Superstars remaining, but she was eliminated by Bianca Belair, who then went on to beat Lynch at WrestleMania.
Bliss has not been on WWE programming since then and wasn't part of the WrestleMania card, which has led to plenty of speculation regarding what the future holds for her.
There was some thought that she would resurface on the Raw after WrestleMania, but that wasn't the case.
Edge is building out a dark, heel stable on Raw with Damian Priest as his first protégé, so perhaps there could be plans in place for Bliss to be part of it.
Edge Expects to Retire Within 3 Years
WWE Hall of Famer Edge believes he is nearing the end of the line with regard to his in-ring career.
During an appearance on Steven's Wrestling Journey (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Edge provided some insight into his retirement plans:
"Won't be 10 [years], definitely won't be 10," Edge said. "I doubt it'll be five, it's gonna be before that. I don't even think it's going to be three. I don't know, but I don't think it's going to be that long. I know the window is small."
After Edge defeated Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania 27 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, he announced his retirement from pro wrestling days later because of a neck injury.
Edge returning to the ring seemed impossible, but nearly nine years later he made a surprise return in the 2020 men's Royal Rumble match.
Since then, The Rated-R Superstar has been doing some of the best work of anyone in WWE on the mic and in the ring, and he is essentially playing with house money by extending a career that was long thought to be over.
During the build toward WrestleMania 38, Edge turned heel for his feud with AJ Styles and developed a much darker and more sinister character.
Edge is now working with Priest and seems likely to add Superstars into his group, which would be an ideal way to elevate those around him.
Even if Edge is only a few years away from retirement, there are still plenty of intriguing matches and feuds for him to pursue, and he can leave a lasting impact on the company by helping Priest and others reach the next level.