Predicting When John Cena Will Return After Missing WWE's Monster 2 Weeks

WWE has had a big couple of weeks, with SmackDown's debut on Fox, the draft, NXT's bow on USA Network and Hell in a Cell. All of this, in addition to the introduction of All Elite Wrestling Dynamite, makes it an exciting time to be a fan.

Brock Lesnar is back in the title scene after winning the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston on October 4, Cain Velasquez and Tyson Fury are set for matches at Crown Jewel on October 31 and WWE is testing the waters with more mature content.

A lot has been happening, but one man who has been absent from WWE television for several months is John Cena. His most recent appearance was on the July 22 episode of Raw, when he had a rap battle with The Usos.

The Leader of the Cenation has been transitioning to a part-time role for the past few years as he expands his acting career with movies like Bumblebee, the upcoming Suicide Squad sequel and the untitled ninth movie in the Fast and Furious series.

Even though some fans still boo Cena when he comes out because that has become something of a tradition in the same way people chant "You suck" at Kurt Angle, many members of the WWE Universe enjoy when he comes back for a quick match or a segment.

Remember when he made a surprise appearance at WrestleMania 35 with his Dr. of Thuganomics gimmick? The crowd exploded with cheers as he came out to confront Elias.

It might be a little while before we see him have a real feud again since he is busy acting, but that doesn't mean he can't pop in for an occasional fight. Let's look at some of the most likely times Cena could return to WWE.

Survivor Series

The next PPV after Crown Jewel is Survivor Series on November 24. If this event ends up having more than one standard elimination match, Cena would be a great surprise participant for one of the teams.

Survivor Series is one of WWE's longest-running yearly events. It began back in 1987 and has featured numerous fun team-ups over the years.

The last time Cena participated in a traditional elimination match was at Survivor Series 2014, when his team defeated Seth Rollins' crew. It would be great if they ended up on the same side this time.

The Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble match is one bout wherein fans are pretty much guaranteed to see a couple of surprise guests. Legends, former Superstars, celebrities and stars who have been on the sidelines with injuries are just some of the people who tend to show up.

Cena famously won the 2008 Royal Rumble after being out of action for several months with a torn pectoral muscle. He entered the match at No. 30 and won by eliminating Triple H.

The 2020 Royal Rumble is set for January 26. If Cena has an opening in his schedule, he could easily be a surprise entrant who eliminates a few people before a young Superstar makes a name for himself by eliminating the 16-time world champion.

It would be a fun way to use him without needing him to be there for several weeks to build up a storyline.

WrestleMania 36

WrestleMania is always the biggest pay-per-view of the year, and WWE usually tries to bring in as many big names as it can for the event.

The Undertaker is still a fixture most years, and Lesnar has wrestled at every 'Mania since 2013. If there were ever a time for another special appearance by Cena, it would be at the Showcase of the Immortals.

Like his appearance at this year's show, Cena might not wrestle. He could just show up, hit someone with an AA and leave. Or WWE could use him as a host, similar to The Rock at WrestleMania XXVII. He is great at hyping up the crowd, and he can always get physical if need be.

There are a lot of ways to use Cena other than wrestling. He could even be a commentator because he has knowledge of the industry and the personality to keep things interesting.

When is the Right Time?

If Cena is going to make an appearance at all in the next six months, these are the three most likely events where it could take place.

It would be fun to see him at Survivor Series, but he is more likely to show up at the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania 36 because people expect WWE to go all out at those shows.

Who knows? Maybe WWE will have him win the Royal Rumble and go on to challenge the WWE champion at WrestleMania to give him title No. 17 so he can break Ric Flair's record. Anything is possible in an industry that once featured Robocop saving Sting in WCW and Hector Guerrero hatching out of a giant egg in a turkey costume.