World Wrestling Entertainment went into great painstaking lengths to promote the return of John Cena in the past few weeks. Cena suffered a tricep tear and was expected to be off television for four to six months, only to return early as per usual to challenge Alberto Del Rio at Hell in a Cell tonight. A two time World Heavyweight Champion, it feels as though the WWE plans to make a big deal out of Cena’s return by having him hold the secondary championship until he’s 100% healthy. It keeps the Daniel Bryan storyline hot without the distraction of Cena in that title scene. With no real brand split anymore, Cena can spend his time in secondary storylines to support the rest of the card. It’s a booking decision many clamoured for back when CM Punk was WWE Champion.

There is many out there however that believe that Cena really isn’t 100%. He’s good enough to work a match against Del Rio but not enough to actually go back to a regular touring schedule. This opens up an interesting opportunity for Cena. The WWE could accomplish several smart decisions in a single match if they don’t decide to panic.

First off, Del Rio vs. Cena. We’ve seen it before and it wasn’t good. Del Rio feels like a midcard heel, not a main event drawing heel and while some could blame his handling at Wrestlemania XXVII against Edge for the tepid reactions to his character, the truth is that Del Rio peaked early and has since plateaued. Cena and Del Rio rarely show chemistry in the ring and while the WWE can get away with a match or two, that should not be the focus to the World Heavyweight gold. For Cena to make his mark as a competitor for the WHT instead of the WWE Championship, it would be good for him to beat Del Rio. Beating Del Rio would make Cena a three time World Heavyweight champion and allow him to say what he always says. “The Champ is here.”

Well, for a couple minutes.

Ever since Cody Rhodes was fired, Damien Sandow has floundered despite the heat he received from winning Money in the Bank. Without a central storyline to focus on, the Intellectual Saviour of the WWE hasn’t been as active as he should be. This is quite common with winners of the Money in the Bank and gives the WWE an opportunity for surprise. It’s similar to the jump scares in a modern horror film. You let things get quiet before the next scream. Sandow cashing in at Hell in a Cell after a not 100% John Cena pulls in deep to score a pinfall or submission on Del Rio is Chemistry 101. It allows Sandow to get his opportunity to push to the upper echelon in the WWE and even gives Cena an excuse to take more time off. Damien Sandow can brag until the Royal Rumble that he took out the greatest superstar in the WWE today and the Time of Enlightenment has arrived (I’m sure that’s what he’ll dub it). Cena gets his time off from his injury but the WWE has also laid the tracks for fans to focus on Cena going after the World Heavyweight championship instead of the WWE championship. The heroic babyface has his excuse and chase while the dastardly heel gets his heat and his time to grow into his new found position on the card.

That said, this extends to more than just a program with Damien Sandow, who I feel contrasts wonderfully with Cena. John could do some great work making Sandow a superstar in the company, but he can also start a new phase in his career. That phase being the guy who makes stars instead of simply being the brightest star in the WWE universe. At 36 and dealing with a history of pectoral and tricep injuries, the WWE needs to increase the potential reach of their investment in John Cena by providing him with programs where he may not always come out on top in the end. More importantly, he needs to face fresh opponents that could earn some valuable television time with Cena’s fans paying attention to them. No more rehashing the same programs against CM Punk, Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio. It’s time for Cena to face new challengers that he can work against and make look good. Cena doesn’t have to be jobbing to wrestlers left and right, and the last time they gave a heel an unexpected win over Cena it was forgotten in a month (Lord Tensai). Cena can spend a year or two making the next names in the WWE, which will in turn help other babyfaces like Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes have stronger competition. The deeper the card, the better. There isn’t anyone who can create that depth better than Cena.

This doesn’t mean I believe Cena is on his last ropes. Cena probably has another 8-10 years in him if he wishes. Triple H winded his career down at 43 despite still being in ring shape. Cena will likely have a similar career trajectory depending on health. That said, the WWE needs to get more names over and ensure that John Cena isn’t doing the heavy lifting for the company by the time he reaches 40. If he’s still expected to be the number one draw on all fronts come 2017, the WWE could see themselves in a situation similar to 1993 where if Cena goes down they have nothing to get people into the arenas. They have already been close to that in recent years and what better way to prevent that than planning now.

The WWE still has a powerful trump card in their backpocket of a John Cena heel turn. That’s their WCW circa 1996, Hollywood Hogan inspired opportunity to perform a complete 180 their company focus and go from Cena being the dominant force the WWE Universe revolves around and turn it into the black hole that the Universe has to align together to stop. If that’s ever going to work the way they want it to, they need both strong babyfaces today that fans will want to watch in the future and wrestlers who might be heels today, but will be the babyfaces of tomorrow to stop Galactus Cena. Cena can make the new stars now without hurting his own brand. If the WWE relents, it would be like a hockey team not building through their draft. How is the next superstar going to step up if he doesn’t have a superstar to show him how?

WWE Hell in a Cell is tonight at 8PM ET, live on Pay Per View.

photo credit: Snerkie via photopin cc

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