Following his win in front of a thunderous audience at Clash in Paris, John Cena is scheduled to appear on WWE SmackDown this week. This edition is being held in Chicago, where WWE has sold 15000 tickets, with a couple of more surprise appearances rumored to occur. In the meantime, the show could also mark the end of an era for The Cenation Leader.
According to the reports of WrestleVotes, many people in WWE expect tonight to be John Cena’s final WWE SmackDown appearance. This is going to be a full-circle moment for the franchise player for the company, as he made his WWE debut on the blue brand in Chicago at the Allstate Arena in 2002, and now his final appearance on the Friday night show will also go down in Chicago at the same venue.
No update is available on what Cena will be up to during his final WWE SmackDown appearance, but rumors are high that he will eventually face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza on September 20 after Lesnar assaulted him at SummerSlam. So, the expectation is that the 17-time World Champion will address The Beast Incarnate on the show, let alone have a confrontation if the latter shows up.
WWE SmackDown: Main-Eventer Reportedly Attending September 5 Episode
John Cena is scheduled to retire from in-ring competition this December, officially drawing the curtain on his wrestling career. Earlier this year, it was announced that he would make 36 appearances during his farewell tour. Following tonight’s WWE SmackDown, only seven dates will be left in that tour.
As of this writing, Cena is still advertised to make an appearance on the September 15 episode of Raw, Wrestlepalooza on September 20, Crown Jewel on October 11, Survivor Series on November 29, and the TBA retirement match, leaving only two dates to be filled. No WWE SmackDown appearance is expected to be added to the list.
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WWE SmackDown September 5 Episode Match Card
The September 5 episode of WWE SmackDown will air from the All State Arena in Chicago, Illinois, bringing all the fallouts from Clash in Paris, while builds for Wrestlepalooza from the blue brand will also commence. Currently, the two set appearances for the weekly show on the USA Network go as follows,
– John Cena to appear
– CM Punk to appear in his hometown