Bobby Lashley and 10 Possible Opponents for John Cena After Return to WWE

John Cena's commitment to filming the upcoming Project X with Jackie Chan caused him to miss SummerSlam for the first time since 2003, but once that has finished filming, we can expect the Leader of the Cenation to return.

Despite moving to a part-time schedule a few years ago, Cena is still considered a WWE mainstay. Whenever he is involved in a storyline, it's considered one of the promotion's top attractions.

In addition to taking on a lighter load, Cena is entering the phase of his career when he puts other Superstars over more often because he can afford to take more losses without losing credibility because of his Hall of Fame-worthy run with the company.

He has a lot of old rivals waiting to reignite feuds, but there is also a whole new group of Superstars Cena has yet to face on both Raw and SmackDown.

This article will look at 10 possible opponents for Cena's first feud after he returns to WWE programming. 

Roman Reigns

With Roman Reigns finally back at the top of WWE's pecking order after defeating Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, Cena might be looking to reclaim his spot.

Reigns and Cena are no strangers to one another. In fact, Cena has been in the ring with The Big Dog multiple times.

A feud between the two would be guaranteed to generate a lot of interest, even if a portion of the hardcore audience would collectively roll its eyes at the idea of seeing them face each other again.

This would be a great feud to carry Raw through to January's Royal Rumble, even if Reigns somehow loses the title before then.

AJ Styles

One of the first major feuds AJ Styles had in WWE was with Cena, so the two living legends already have a relationship to build a new story around.

The only problem with this feud is that Styles is a babyface. However, Cena gets a lot of heat anyway, so WWE might not care about having two heroic characters going against each other as long as one is being cheered more than the other.

Like Reigns, The Phenomenal One holds one of the top titles in WWE. Cena is on his way to becoming the most decorated world champion in WWE history, so having him go after Styles for his 17th world championship is the only reason they need to start fighting.

Cena's free-agent status means he can show up on Raw or SmackDown, meaning WWE doesn't have to worry about anyone switching brands to make this work.

Their previous encounters have been memorable and fun. WWE would be foolish not to consider putting them back in the ring together, even for a short feud.

Braun Strowman

While Cena has been busy filming movies and reality shows for the past couple of years, Braun Strowman has been carving a path of destruction through the WWE roster.

Cena and Strowman have been in the ring together a few times, but Mr. Money in the Bank is one of the few main event stars Cena has never had an extended singles feud with. 

They had a surprising amount of chemistry during their encounters, so there is a good possibility Cena and Strowman would be able to steal the show at any pay-per-view.

This would also be a good way to prevent Strowman from cashing in his contract against Reigns for a couple of months. If The Monster Among Men is busy with Cena, The Big Dog can worry about other challengers for a little while. It's a win-win for WWE.

Bobby Lashley

Before Bobby Lashley left WWE in 2008, his final PPV match was against Cena at the 2007 Great American Bash. He came up short against the WWE champion in a great main event.

Before taking time off to heal, Lashley seemed like the perfect successor to Cena. He had the ideal combination of physique, strength, skill and intimidation factor. His exit from the company came as a shock to everyone.

While his return to WWE earlier this year got off to a rocky start, Lashley has quickly grown into a top star on Raw. His main goal is to win the Universal Championship, but it would be easy to create a story about his desire for a rematch with Cena to settle unfinished business.

It was during their encounter at The Bash when Lashley suffered the injury that would put him on the shelf until he left the company. The foundation for a long- or short-term feud already exists. All WWE management has to do is set it in motion with one simple promo from Lashley.

Daniel Bryan

Cena has a history with many of WWE's biggest stars, but his connection to Daniel Bryan is a bit different because of their respective relationships with The Bella Twins.

Bryan and Brie are married with a daughter, and Cena and Nikki recently broke up after getting engaged in the ring at WrestleMania 33.

WWE loves to mix reality and fiction in its storylines, so if all parties are willing, Bryan and Cena could engage in a feud over Nikki's broken heart.

It might seem weird for Bryan to be going after his sister-in-law's ex-boyfriend, but WWE has done sillier things in the past, and we all went along for the ride. The quality of the match is all that matters. 

Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre has been impressive since returning to WWE last year, but management has struggled to find something for him to do on the main roster other than serve as Dolph Ziggler's enforcer.

The Scottish Superstar needs a high-profile storyline to establish himself as a threat in the singles division, and a feud with Cena could do the trick.

The 16-time champion has put over several Superstars in recent years because he can take more losses without losing momentum than he could earlier in his career, so he would be the perfect person to help kickstart McIntyre's main event push.

They don't have a history as rivals, so this would be a fresh combination. With just about everyone having a past with everyone else in WWE, having a brand-new feud would be a rare treat.

Andrade 'Cien' Almas

People who didn't follow his career in Mexico and NXT might not know Andrade "Cien" Almas is one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. His run as NXT champion featured some incredible matches, especially his TakeOver: Philadelphia encounter with Johnny Gargano.

His recent feud with Rusev hasn't done much to show off his talents, but a few matches with someone like Cena would give him the ability to showcase his ability.

Say what you want about Cena's limited arsenal. When it comes down to it, he is as smooth in the ring as anyone on the roster. He almost never makes mistakes, and he can adjust his style to fit any kind of opponent.

Almas and Cena would tear down the house every single night, especially if they were given enough time to tell a proper story without rushing through their big spots.

Zelina Vega is more than capable of carrying this feud on the mic while her client does the heavy lifting in the ring. 

Sanity

Sanity's introduction to the main roster has been on one of the great disappointments of 2018, but it's not the fault of Eric Young, Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe.

They should have been brought up as a disruptive force like The Shield, but their debut was delayed after it was first announced, and they have been losing what little momentum they carried over from NXT since.

This is a group built on anarchy, so its main goal should be to shake up the system. What better way to accomplish that than to go after the face of the company?

The story would be easy enough to write. A few unprompted attacks by Sanity, a promo explaining why the group is targeting Cena and a few matches against Dain and Wolfe before a final showdown with Young at a PPV would be all it would take. 

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Whom do you think Cena should feud with when he returns?