December 26, 2022 Observer Newsletter: John Cena returning to WWE, new TV content interest decline

WWE closes 2022 with a bang, with its biggest Smackdown television match of the year on 12/30 from Tampa because John Cena is wrestling on the show in a tag match teaming with Kevin Owens against Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.

A lot of Rumble and perhaps WrestleMania directions should be set up by the match. It was noted on television that Cena hasn’t wrestled in 2022 which would make the first year since 2000 that he hasn’t had at least one WWE/WWF match.

Cena’s first WWF match was October 10, 2000, a dark match on a taping from the Staples Center in Los Angeles where he lost to Mikey Henderson. Cena was signed because of his look and physique by WWF almost immediately after he started training at UPW, at the time a developmental territory, under Rick Bassman. At the time he used the name Prototype. In 2001, WWF moved him out of Southern California and UPW to OVW, its main developmental territory. During that period, because he was considered a major prospect because of both his look and his promo ability, he did frequent dark matches.

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