John Cena tweeted Tuesday evening that he's returning to Smackdown Live on the July 4 edition of the Tuesday night show.
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Bittersweet day today as I begin another night in Atlanta. Such a funny movie but #SDLive @WWE is so close! 7/4 can't get here fast enough!
— John Cena (@JohnCena) May 30, 2017
Cena, who is away filming another movie, was in Atlanta, Ga. Tuesday night for the production, which just so happened to be where Smackdown Live was taking place that evening.
Cena, who has been teasing his return to WWE on Twitter for a while now, finally put a welcome end to the rumors surrounding just when exactly the Doctor of Thuganomics would step back inside the ring.
It's interesting that Cena elected to announce when exactly he would be returning to WWE, and if recent viewership ratings are indication, perhaps his announcement will ensure more eyeballs will be on the blue brand this summer now that his fans know he'll be coming back for sure.
No matter the rationale, the WWE will certainly be glad to have him back on Tuesday nights — although, at this point, a return to Monday Night Raw may be the better place for him. Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, etc. have all done a solid job of holding the fort down, so his absence hasn't been a major blow for the show.
Perhaps what's most intriguing about Cena's return, though is what kind of summer program creative places him in. Does he go after WWE Champion Jinder Mahal? WWE United States Champion Kevin Owens? Baron Corbin? The options are really endless, and there are a number of guys on the Smackdown Live roster that could greatly benefit from a major summer program with someone like Cena — maybe Corbin more than anyone.
Cena is a 13-time WWE champion and three-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
