WWE Champion John Cena: 10 Bold Predictions for His Title Reign

At Extreme Rules, WWE Superstar John Cena defeated John Morrison and then WWE Champion The Miz in a Triple Threat Cage match to win his eighth WWE Championship.

If you have watched any WWE program in the past seven years or so, you would know that John Cena is no stranger when it comes to WWE title reigns.  His eight WWE Championship reigns place him in a tie for the most title reigns of any superstar in WWE history (with Triple H). Cena has held the title for a combined 958 days and counting, ranking fifth all time. 

We have witnessed some crazy things happen during some of John Cena's previous title runs, and we have also witnessed some average things happen.  So what could we see this time?

Here's a look at 10 bold predictions for the time during John Cena's WWE Championship reign.

Cena Will Hold the WWE Title Through SummerSlam

It is rumored that current creative plans call for a match between John Cena and Alberto Del Rio at SummerSlam, and while I don't think that a match between the two is out of the question, I don't see Del Rio rising to the top that night.

Alberto Del Rio received his biggest push from the Royal Rumble through WrestleMania.  After his loss at the hands of Edge and his subsequent move to Raw, Del Rio seems to have been knocked down a peg or two.

I don't see Del Rio picking up enough momentum going into SummerSlam to win the WWE Championship.  If he takes the title from Cena, I feel that it will be at a later date.

Batista Will Return

Lately there has been talk of former WWE Champion Dave Batista returning to the ring.  He originally left WWE to pursue a career in Mixed Martial Arts.  Batista seemed to have finally nailed down a contract with Strikeforce, only to have it uprooted when UFC purchased the other MMA promotion.

Now with his MMA aspirations seemingly dead, will Batista make his return to the WWE ring?  And if he does, will he target John Cena, the man who (kayfabe) took him out of action?

When Batista left WWE in 2010, he quit the company after being defeated by John Cena at Over The Limit.  Cena was the cause of his demise; could he be the target for Batista's return to the ring?

Cena Will Drop the WWE Title to the Money in the Bank Winner

The Money in the Bank pay-per-view takes place on July 17 and is the last pay-per-view before SummerSlam.  Before the night is over, there will be a new threat to the WWE Championship.

I could see many different things happening with the Raw MITB match.  Alberto Del Rio could win and use it to set up a match with Cena at SummerSlam, or maybe even use it for an instant rematch if that match already gets set up.  I also wouldn't be surprised to see R-Truth win; there are many different angles that WWE could take his character with a Money in the Bank win.

Whatever the case may be, I see John Cena losing only when taken by surprise, and even then I wouldn't be surprised if he became the first superstar to successfully defend against the MITB briefcase.

Cena Will Pass Pedro Morales for 4th Longest Combined Reign as WWE Champion

John Cena has been in possession of the WWE Championship for more days than any other current superstar.  As of May 12, Cena has held the title for a combined total of 958 days, placing him fifth all time.

WWE Hal of Famer Pedro Morales was the first superstar in history to win the three major titles, the WWE Championship (then the WWWF Heavyweight Championship), the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championship, making him the first ever Triple Crown Champion.  Morales defeated Ivan Koloff for the WWE Championship and became the fourth champion in history.

Though it has taken eight WWE Championship reigns for John Cena to amass his 958-day reign, Pedro Morales held the belt for 1,027 consecutive days and only held the WWE Championship once.

Number of title reigns aside, If John Cena can make it to July 21, he will pass Morales for fourth place on the all-time list of combined days held.

Jericho Will Return

Chris Jericho has been planning his WWE return for quite some time now.  With his stint on Dancing With the Stars over, he just may be returning to the ring sooner rather than later.

Now, I don't really expect Jericho to return to the Raw brand as a heel (the show is overloaded with them at the current moment). I do, however, expect a Jericho return soon. 

Jericho has already stated that when he returns he will not be the same character that he was when he left.  This leads me to believe that we will see Jericho return as a face.  Though it seems likely to me that it will be on the SmackDown brand, I still think it will occur during Cena's title reign.

John Cena Will Have an Ally

John Cena has played the "lone wolf" character for his entire career.  That might mean it's time for a change.

What could make John Cena even more dominating than he already is?  What if he had a protege, or some sort of manager or valet to ensure that his matches were free from outside interference?

This seems unlikely, as Cena has never needed help, but if The Miz continues to use Alex Riley for assistance in his matches, maybe John Cena will have to find someone to even the playing field.

We'll See a New Version of the WWE Championship

Okay, I guess I'm really just hoping for this one, but there have been rumors that WWE has a new WWE Championship ready to go when they finally decide to change the Spinner Belt.

We've had the Spinner Belt for over six years now and it has also been in the hands of Edge, Rob Van Dam, Triple H, Batista, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Sheamus and The Miz.  While I understand that the belt was created in the first place as a big middle finger to JBL, but I just don't see the novelty of it anymore.

The belt stopped spinning some time ago (I don't exactly remember when).  Other than that, the only changes we have seen to the WWE Championship are the Rated R Superstar version and The Miz version where the WWE logo was flipped upside down to look like an "M."

It's time for a change.  Will John Cena bring it to us?  Probably not, but maybe when he drops the title we'll see something new.

Every Title Defense Will Have Some Sort of Interference

With the number of people who are next in line for a shot at the WWE Championship, as well as allies to the contenders, such as Alex Riley, I can't see a single John Cena victory that doesn't show him overcoming the odds while outsmarting and outperforming more than one superstar to retain his WWE Title.

Now, I'm not saying that each win is going to be affected by interference, but I don't see a single match pitting John Cena against a challenger going from start to finish without some sort of interference.

Alex Riley is always a nuisance, Alberto Del Rio is lurking in the shadows and now R-Truth is as unpredictable as ever.  Look for there to be plenty of interference in the months to come.

John Cena Will Win the Tag Team Championship

Why not?  WWE seems to always make weird tag team pairings with John Cena.

Cena has won Tag Team gold with The Miz, Batista and David Otunga, all three were men who were scheduled to be his opponents, or in Otunga's case, a forced ally.

I could see John Cena being forced to team up with Alberto Del Rio sometime close to SummerSlam, and the two could easily walk out with the WWE Tag Team Championship.  WWE loves destroying the credibility of the Tag Team Titles by having them won and lost on the same night or having a team be so easily defeated by just John Cena.  I don't see this trend ending anytime soon.

John Cena Will Retire CM Punk

There is talk that CM Punk is currently unhappy with his WWE contract and may leave the company when it expires.  If that is the case, I predict that John Cena will be the one to send him on his way.

I think that there could be a great angle with CM Punk putting his career on the line for a shot at the WWE Championship.  As a major heel in the company, if he were to leave, it would either have to be at the hands of an already huge fan favorite or someone who would be getting a big push. 

Though I would love to see WWE use this as an opportunity to push a mid-card superstar, or even use the opportunity to get The Miz over as a face, I see John Cena being the man they use to write CM Punk off of television.