John Cena returned to the WWE on the December 27 episode of Smackdown Live. He then challenged the defending WWE champion, AJ Styles for a match at the Royal Rumble PPV.
The crowd didn’t seem to be happy with this decision. Cena has been on the losing side in the singles encounters against Styles, previously. Plus, he has transitioned himself into a ‘part-timer’ role . So, he has not earned the right to be called the number one contender for the WWE championship.
The audience did know that this is the beginning of the Wrestlemania season and hence the franchise is bound to get a big push. So the rumor mill suggested that he will be winning his record 16th WWE World Title at the PPV.
But the latest rumors say Cena is no more the favorite to win the championship match against Styles. Vince McMahon does not want Cena to get a negative reaction while getting his hand on the record-tying win and hence has canceled the plans around him. So, AJ Styles will retain his title and he’ll be the one to defend the title inside the Elimination Chamber PPV.
Cena was also expected to seek his revenge against the Phenomenal One after facing two consecutive losses, last year. But, as per the latest planning, he might just have to be satisfied with another incredible match with Styles.
The rumor mill says that Samoa Joe would make his much-anticipated debut during the WWE championship match and cost Cena the title opportunity. This would set up a dream match at the biggest stage of Wrestlemania between Samoa and John Cena. On the other hand, Styles will go onto Wrestlemania holding the WWE title on his shoulder. In this case, he has a good chance to square off against the Undertaker at Citrus Bowl.