John Cena's Return to WWE SmackDown Live Revealed

Rob Goldberg @TheRobGoldbergFeatured ColumnistDecember 26, 2018

FILE- In this Sunday, April 6, 2014 file photo, John Cena celebrates his win during Wrestlemania XXX at the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome in New Orleans. World-famous WWE wrestlers such as John Cena, Shaemus and champion Randy Orton are in Saudi Arabia for three days of matches in the capital Riyadh. (Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for WWE, File)

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

John Cena is officially coming back to the ring.

The former WWE champion is set to make his 2019 debut on the New Year's Day episode of SmackDown Live, per the company's official website.

This announcement came after WWE chairman Vince McMahon, dressed as Santa Claus, promised Cena would return to appear on both Raw and SmackDown:

WWE @WWE
.@VinceMcMahon, oh...er... #SantaClaus, has a few AMAZING announcements to make on #Raw! https://t.co/gBXs8YWURe

The 41-year-old had originally said he would return only for live shows that would not be aired on television, per Mark Daniell of the Toronto Sun. However, it appears he will be back for all fans to see, which could generate plenty of excitement for the upcoming events.