John Cena made his in-ring return to WWE television on the December 30 edition of SmackDown by teaming with Kevin Owens to take on Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn in a tag team match. 

WWE set up the match on the December 16 edition of SmackDown as Owens needed to find a tag team partner for the bout, and Cena appeared on the big screen in a pre-taped promo where he confirmed he would team with “KO.” This match extended his streak of wrestling every year since his main roster debut in 2002.

What’s Next?

After SmackDown went off the air, Cena was attacked by The Bloodline. This led to The Brawling Brutes and Drew McIntyre making the save. Cena cut a promo to thank the fans for their support over the past 20 years. When he found out that the last show of the year would be in Tampa and it is his only match of 2022 to extend the streak, he had to do it.

During Cena’s return on Raw for his 20th Anniversary celebration over the summer, he stated he wasn’t sure when he would wrestle again. 

Cena hadn’t been seen in action since SummerSlam 2021, when he came up short when challenging Reigns for the Universal Title. 

As previously reported, Cena is expected to work WrestleMania 39 in April, and as seen below, his reported opponent has been revealed.