John Cena's Reported Absence Will Present Optimal Opportunity to Push Cesaro

As first reported by PWInsider (h/t Wrestle Zone), John Cena could very well be taking time off following the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.

Nothing is official as of now, but based on Cena being left off live-event advertising through late December, it looks as if WWE will be Cena-free for at least two months starting next Sunday. How WWE plans on writing him out of storylines remains to be seen, but for what it's worth, he is not scheduled to compete at the event.

While the exact reason behind Cena's absence is not yet known, what is for certain is the void he will leave behind at the top of the roster. He's been out of the main event picture for some time now, yet he's remained a major focal point of WWE TV throughout 2015.

With Cena possibly gone for the foreseeable future, WWE could have a chance to start focusing on talent that have been overlooked in favor of the more established stars. Of course, they may not be pushed toward the top of the card, but an increase in exposure and television time would do wonders.

If there's any one star who could benefit from Cena taking time off, however, it would be Cesaro.

Credit: WWE.com

The last three-and-a-half years of Cesaro's WWE run have been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride.

He was pushed prominently in a midcard role throughout 2012, but fell out of favor with company bass when he was perceived to be "boring," as noted by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio (reported by F4WOnline via Wrestling Inc.).

It wasn't until the spring of 2014 that he began gaining momentum and organically winning over the WWE Universe. Despite emerging victorious in the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 30 and getting paired with Paul Heyman, he gradually slid back down the card and returned to WWE Superstars purgatory.

His strong series of matches with United States champion John Cena over the summer reminded fans of his tremendous talents and untapped potential as a main event-caliber competitor. Due to his breakout performance against The Champ, he became more of a fixture on the flagship show in the months that followed, before having his TV time greatly curtailed just recently.

From the fans to the powers that be at WWE, it's apparent to just about everyone Cesaro deserves to be positioned higher on the card. Therefore, Cena's temporary departure would grant WWE the optimal opportunity to finally cement The Swiss Superman as the megastar he's destined to be.

Although it's unlikely Cesaro will be the one to take the title from Cena, it would be an excellent way of getting his career back on track.

Not only would fans take him seriously again with a win over Cena to his credit, he could have a fun run as United States champion until the 15-time world champion's return to the ring. From Rusev to Sheamus to King Barrett, there are many who could challenge him for the star-spangled prize.

If that's not the route WWE would like to take with Cesaro, he could always be a placeholder program for WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins. The former Shield member hasn't faced a fresh face since Dean Ambrose at Money in the Bank in June and is in need of new competition.

Besides, there aren't many other options for Rollins coming out of Hell in a Cell unless they opt to keep his feud with Kane going through the fall season. The rivalry hasn't done Rollins any favors (see: his clean loss to The Big Red Monster on the Oct. 12 Raw) and it's imperative he has a feud with someone he could score a credible victory against.

If Cena does in fact disappear from WWE TV in the coming weeks, WWE would be making a major mistake if they didn't take advantage of his absence by spotlighting an underutilized performer, specifically Cesaro.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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