Backstage News On John Cena's Recent WWE Return

John Cena's WWE appearances are few and far between these days. Despite that, he's now managed to compete at least once every year that he's been active since 2002. Cena's most recent return to the ring occurred on the December 30 episode of "WWE SmackDown" when he teamed with Kevin Owens to score a main event victory over Sami Zayn and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Following the match, Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that "everything was said to be very carefully done" since Cena hadn't been in the ring since he faced Reigns at WWE SummerSlam 2021. Not only was he protected, but WWE wanted him to hit the Attitude Adjustment and appear strong after WWE and FOX heavily promoted the bout for two weeks.

Cena competing on "SmackDown" for the first time since 2018 paid off in the ratings as the December 30 episode drew 2,629,000 viewers, the highest since the Christmas 2020 episode two years prior. It also drew the highest 18-49 demo rating since January 21, 2022. The show also benefited from Ronda Rousey defending the "SmackDown" Women's Championship against Raquel Rodriguez before Charlotte Flair made her return to take the title back.

It remains to be seen when the 16-time world champion will make another WWE appearance. As of late, Cena starred in and executive produced the HBO Max series "Peacemaker" from DC Studios. He's also hosted the competition show "Wipeout" alongside Nicole Byer on TBS. Cena is set to star in "Fast X," the tenth movie of the "Fast and Furious" franchise, which hits theatres on May 19, 2023.