Major Update on Cena's Future in WWE, Is His Time on Top Coming to an End?

With his recent elbow surgery,and subsequent time on the shelf, there has been speculation about John Cena's future in WWE. After all, he's 35 years old and has worked the tough, grueling WWE road schedule for almost a decade now. It seems only a matter of time before all that wear and tear takes its toll.  

In this week's (subscribers-only) Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer offers an update on Cena, noting some in the company are worried about his physical well-being and there is an on-going dialogue his time on top as a full-time guy may be coming to an end:

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Cena is pretty banged up these days. There is talk that his time as the full-time top star isn’t going to last forever. The feeling is he’ll do main events for as long as his body holds up, and then probably work like the older Japanese guys in the sense not always on top, but saving him for a few big matches and then eventually the part-time role. The time frame of all this depends on his body more than anything else.

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Meltzer also goes on to note that Vince McMahon will likely have to select a new top babyface to carry the company soon: "But it has been noted for some time that there is probably at least one more face of the company that will be chosen by Vince McMahon."

We can only guess who McMahon would potentially pick for such a role. 

Rising star Ryback may be the most obvious one, with the former Nexus member getting over huge in recent times with his Bill Goldberg-esque monster babyface character. Of course, it is also possible his gaping flaws may disqualify him (he's very green in the ring and a pretty terrible talker).

Sheamus, whom WWE has pushed heavily this year, is another possibility. Although, again, he also has problems as a performer that would hinder him—for one thing, the writing team often stick him with awful promo material. He doesn't seem to be massively over with the fans, either.