Gauging Impact of John Cena's Rumored Post-WWE WrestleMania 33 Absence

SmackDown Live will deepen its reputation as the land of opportunity should John Cena exit center stage after WWE WrestleMania 33. 

A potential Cena hiatus will leave a door wide open for another Superstar on the blue brand. That's where SmackDown will feel the powerhouse's absence, not in the ratings.

Cena will team up with Nikki Bella against husband-and-wife duo The Miz and Maryse at the April 2 pay-per-view. After that, Tuesday nights may be minus the 16-time world champ for a spell.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Nick Paglino of Wrestlezone), Cena is set to take time off from WWE. The hiatus could be to allow him time to film the upcoming movie The Pact.

If that turns out to be the case, there will be a key spot on the show up for grabs.

Cena has been in the midst of a high-profile feud with The Miz. Before that, he collided with AJ Styles over the WWE Championship.

Should SmackDown not have The Leader of the Cenation to plug in, the blue brand would have to slide someone else into his place.

It was during Cena's absence last fall when Styles rose to the top of the company. The Phenomenal One held the WWE title, had a number of opportunities on the mic and worked SmackDown's biggest matches each week. Cena would have surely nabbed some of that airtime had he been around. 

James Ellsworth emerged as a surprise star with no Cena around as well.

SmackDown got creative and elevated the former enhancement talent to an unexpectedly high position. His story and his rise became the heart of the brand for a while.

A similar opening for a fresh face is on its way.

The next Cena hiatus is sure to benefit another wrestler, and there's a good chance that will be Luke Harper. The former Wyatt Family member has been sniffing around the main event picture but has nothing on his plate ahead of WrestleMania. 

There is no room for him on the card it seems.

That is poised to change after The Show of Shows. SmackDown will need a new grappler to fight in upper-midcard feuds. It will need another key babyface too.

The balance of heels and fan favorites will be off without Cena.

Heels are abundant on the blue brand, with Styles, Baron Corbin, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and Bray Wyatt on the roster. WWE needs to find foils for those men. Harper, a long underused talent, is among the best candidates for that role.

WWE can use Cena's time off as another chance to experiment as it did with Ellsworth last year. The promotion can see whether Harper can be a marquee star, if Apollo Crews can catch fire, if one of the tag teams can be a foundational part of SmackDown.

And with or without Cena, the viewership numbers will look largely the same.

As Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats noted, WWE has had "pretty lackluster numbers for their shows heading into the biggest event on the calendar." SmackDown pulled in 2.65, 2.63 and 2.75 million viewers over the past three weeks with Cena on board. 

Without him last year, the brand saw 2.57 and 2.5 million viewers tune in on Nov. 30 and 22 respectively. The gap between the November and March numbers is likely more a result of it being WrestleMania season than what Cena brings to the table.

The numbers will trail off some once The Show of Shows is done regardless of whether Cena is still here.

Being without him is more an issue of less star power, having one less proven talent to fit into the puzzle. That's something WWE is going to have to get used to.

Cena has been busy with work outside the ring in recent years.

He has been in a number of movies, hosted Saturday Night Live, been the star of a reality show and guest-hosted talk shows. More directors and producers will call him. More non-WWE opportunities are on their way.

Cena's passion for the wrestling business is clear, and he'll always return to the squared circle, but he's increasingly moving away from being a WWE workhorse.

That creates an opening guys like Harper have to seize.