John Cena returns to WWE on tonight’s episode of SmackDown at The Giant Center in Hershey, PA.
Cena will continue to appear on SmackDown for seven consecutive weeks starting Friday, September 15 at the Ball Arena in Denver, CO, and lasting through the end of October. The Champ will also travel to India for the WWE Superstar Spectacle show on September 8.
Fightful Select is reporting that WWE planned Cena’s run due to his availability amidst the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in Hollywood.
One higher-up in WWE noted that if Cena ends up appearing regularly on television and the strike ends, the creative team will wrap up any storylines to let The Champ return to Hollywood.
However, there is currently no concern about Cena missing his advertised dates in the event that the strike ends abruptly.
While Cena is scheduled for WWE’s SmackDown TV tapings through the end of October, it doesn’t guarantee that he will appear on every show.
