John Cena took the ring at the WWE Friday Night Smackdown before his hometown crowd in Boston. Cena appeared to be saying his goodbyes to the world of WWE, but it seems not before a match against the fan-favorite villain, The Fiend.
John Cena has a history of excellence in WWE. But as wrestling has taken a backseat, his career has been focused on other ambitions. His last individual match was against King Corbin in December of 2018, and he was involved in a Fatal 4 in January of 2019. Cena came to Smackdown and reflected on his history with the WWE. Seeming emotional, he stated he would not be at WrestleMania 36. That he knows he could ask for a spot and get it, but the new generation of wrestling superstars should earn spots.
As Cena proceeded to leave the arena to heartbroken cheers, the lights went out. In a signature entry, WWE’s “The Fiend,” or Bray Wyatt, appeared behind Cena. He pointed to the WrestleMania 36 sign without saying a word. Cena regarded it for a moment, then gave the nod. And the show ended.
It was confirmed afterward that Cena would fight The Fiend at WrestleMania 36. The Fiend has been undefeated save for his loss against Goldberg at WWE Super ShowDown. While being a villain character, The Fiend has a large fan following and brings an air of excitement and intensity to each plot he’s involved in. In a statement regarding the fight, WWE posted:
At WrestleMania, it will be “you can’t see me” against the horror most Superstars hope you’ll never see. John Cena is set to return to The Showcase of the Immortals for what promises to be an incredible showdown against “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.”
WrestleMania 36 will stream live on the WWE Network on Sunday, April 5th, at 7 pm ET.