John Cena's Top Potential Feuds Upon Return to WWE Programming

John Cena is one of the biggest names in wrestling history, and the WWE Universe is preparing for his return to Raw on Memorial Day. Cena underwent shoulder surgery in January.

Wrestling fans have mixed emotions about Cena’s return. On one hand, he is a top star, and the business is always better when he is on the card. On the other hand, his character has been stale for years, and fans have grown tired of his babyface gimmick.

Regardless of how Cena is handled when he returns to the ring, here are the top potential feuds when he returns from shoulder surgery on Memorial Day. 

Rusev

Rusev was one of the hottest Superstars in WWE after making his debut in 2014, but he ran into the unstoppable force known as Cena. Like most wrestlers who are built as top heels in WWE, Rusev was fed to Cena and faded into obscurity thanks to terrible booking.

With Rusev now the No. 1 contender for the United States Championship, Kalisto should be on upset alert. Cena has a history with Rusev and the U.S. title, so the possibility of WWE Creative revisiting a previous feud instead of coming up with something new and unique is high.

There is no question that the original feud between Cena and Rusev for the U.S. title had a strong start, but the eventual victories by Cena stopped any momentum Rusev built in its tracks. Now that WWE is building Rusev up once again, Cena beating him for the title once more would not be hard to believe.

Kalisto has done nothing with the title since he won it—not his fault, blame WWE Creative—and Rusev would regain some credibility by winning the belt. Unfortunately, Rusev’s championship victory could be all about giving the championship right back to Cena.

The Miz

The Miz has been one of the best heels in WWE over the last several months, and one feud for Cena upon his return that he is guaranteed to win would be against his former WrestleMania foe, The Miz.

Alongside his wife, Maryse, Miz has become one of the most reliable bad guys on the roster today. Cena will be looking to get involved in a storyline right away before the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in June, and a quick stopover feud against The Miz would be ideal.

Not only would it give The Miz a marquee storyline, which would put his heel character in the main event again, but it would also give Cena an opponent he could beat handily without worrying about how it will damage his long-term credibility.

Cena getting involved in the Money in the Bank ladder match is a real possibility if he’s not involved in the U.S. title scene, and being pestered by The Miz in the weeks leading up to the June PPV would make for the perfect holdover.

Roman Reigns

One possibility that could come to fruition is a long-term feud between Cena and WWE world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns. If Cena is returning to the world title scene, then the reality that he could win the Money in the Bank briefcase becomes all too feasible.

There is also a chance that Cena simply gets a title shot due to being a 15-time world champion, but the possibility of coming back and throwing his name in the mix for Money in the Bank could lead to a feud between Reigns and Cena that would headline SummerSlam 2016.

There are undoubtedly better options for a Money in the Bank briefcase winner this year—look no further than Dean Ambrose, a returning Seth Rollins or another Superstar who needs it for credibility—but WWE has a history of leaning on Cena when the company needs an instant boost.

With WWE having so much faith in Reigns as the franchise player moving into the future, the battle between Cena and Reigns would be one way to give credibility to the current world champion while still showcasing Cena in a marquee role.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).