WWE Survivor Series 2015: Analyzing the Impact of John Cena's Absence on PPV

If WWE thought it had a problem with a lack of roster depth before this current European tour, things have become a whole lot worse since.

Seth Rollins' injury and subsequent relinquishing of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship has added to the situation, with a number of big stars now away from the limelight at Survivor Series.

Rollins and Brock Lesnar are clearly blows, but what about the absence of John Cena? How will WWE cope without their No. 1 babyface on the pay-per-view?

First and foremost, there is a bizarre way of looking at things, and deducing Rollins' absence has actually helped buffer Cena's absence.

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament has added an interesting dynamic to the whole card at Survivor Series, something that wouldn't have happened if Rollins had been fit and ready to take on Roman Reigns.

WWE now has intrigue and potential drama on its card for Survivor Series with this tournament and a completely different dynamic than any other show over the past few months. 

By the time Survivor Series rolls around, there will still be four men in the running to become the new champion. There will be a couple of surprises in that pack of four and no doubt a few swerves up the sleeve of WWE on the night, too.

Without Cena, Lesnar and Rollins, the roster looks depleted, but it's been helped somewhat by something unpredictable and unseen, at least over the past few years on pay-per-view.

However, although the world title tournament will take up a significant amount of TV time and interest at Survivor Series, the midcard is definitely a weaker place without Cena around.

He seemed to have found a real niche in WWE over the past six months or so wrestling in the middle of the card with the United States Championship around his waist.

His open challenges were often the standout moments of many tapings of Raw, with some blockbuster matches up there with the best of the year so far.

They often provided surprise entrants to take up the challenge, with guys like Sami Zayn and even Alberto Del Rio coming completely out of the blue.

Without that open challenge on the card for Survivor Series, things do look a little bit weaker. It's hard to imagine Del Rio defending the title at Survivor Series, not least because he's still in the world title tournament. As well as that, though, he doesn't really have a feud to speak of at the moment.

So, without Cena to feud with, the title becomes neglected, and the middle of the card also takes a real knock back in terms of hype and intensity.

But with so much star power away from WWE at the moment, including Cena, the feeling within WWE has to be that it's a big opportunity for some bright young talent to emerge and hold their own on the big stage.

Without talent like Rollins, Lesnar and Cena, the card admittedly looks weak. But this is one of the biggest pay-per-view shows of the year, and it could be the opportunity for someone like Kevin Owens to show he can slot into the main event scene.

It's rare to see a pay-per-view without John Cena on it these days. He is a brand within his own right, and his absence is a big blow for WWE and its profile. But if plans are executed properly and the right winners emerge triumphant, Cena's absence will not be felt too much, at least for WWE fans.