John Cena: 'There's No Mathematical Way I Can Be At' WWE WrestleMania 37

Many WWE fans were disappointed Sunday night when John Cena failed to make a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble.

Bad news: Cena won't be around at all for WrestleMania season. 

"Currently, I'm in Vancouver shooting Peacemaker, the series for HBO Max," Cena told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. "Given the quarantine regulations, if I were to leave Canada, upon return I would have to quarantine for another two weeks. Essentially, that would shut production down. Strictly based on the letter of the law right now, there is no logistical way I can be there. We film now until July.

"It's very difficult to say because I know it's going to be disappointing for a lot of people, but according to the letter of regulation right now, there is no mathematical way I can be at WrestleMania this year."

Cena hasn't been seen on WWE television since losing to The Fiend in their Firefly Funhouse match at last year's WrestleMania. 

With Cena filming until at least July, it's likely that the soonest we'll see him on WWE programming is SummerSlam. Depending on how the COVID-19 vaccine rollout goes, that could be in time for WWE to allow fans into arenas for shows.

WWE is planning to allow a limited number of fans into Raymond James Stadium for this year's WrestleMania, likely because it's an outdoor venue with better options for fans being spaced out. AEW has regularly had a limited number of fans at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, another outdoor venue.

At age 43, Cena has clearly entered a stage of semi-retirement in the pro wrestling business. He's a successful actor with several ongoing projects; there is little need for him to subject himself to the rigors of a WWE schedule.

However, it feels like a near-certainty that Cena will eventually come back for one final run—potentially to chase his record 17th world championship. When that time comes will be dependent on his schedule in the entertainment business.