Predicting When John Cena Will Appear in WWE Again After WrestleMania Appearance

It may not have been the kind of appearance many fans were expecting, but John Cena's WrestleMania 35 cameo at least gave his army of supporters the first glimpse of the Cenation leader on WWE television for months.

Cena has been involved with WrestleMania on some level since the 20th show, a staggering 15 years ago (although he was limited to a brief appearance at WrestleMania 32). This year, his appearance was far less likely, not least because WWE is becoming increasingly confident in allowing its younger, full-time talent to take the spotlight.

And after taking down Elias while working his old Dr. of Thuganomics gimmick on Sunday's show, it's already interesting to ponder when fans will next see Cena on television.

Immediately after his appearance, Cena said the following to WWE's YouTube channel:

"That's my one rabbit out of the hat. I don't know what the hell I am going to do after this. For years, my contribution on television has helped sell tickets to this event. This year, that was not true. And it is still completely sold out, and everyone is still completely on the edge of their seat.

"And I've said this since the day I walked in the door: The WWE does not need me or any one individual; it needs the fans. I'm at a very good perspective with the fact that they don't need me. They're just fine without me."

The acknowledgement from Cena that WWE doesn't need him any more is significant. It means that, for the next few months at least, while the company establishes its post-WrestleMania storylines moving into the summer, Cena is unlikely to be a regular fixture on television.

The company's major champions already look destined for feuds with other full-time stars: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre seems logical, Kofi Kingston vs. Cena wouldn't be smart for numerous reasons and Finn Balor and Samoa Joe already appear to be locked into rivalries with Sami Zayn and Braun Strowman, respectively.

So in reality, that doesn't leave Cena with much to do, especially when you glance over the company's pay-per-view schedule moving into the summer. Sure, there could be a one-time appearance at Money in the Bank in May, but that wouldn't make sense unless he was going to win the briefcase.

Without any clear storyline for the 16-time world champion or reason to show up over the next few months, one window becomes more and more likely as the next time we will see Cena on WWE television in the United States: SummerSlam.

The biggest show of the summer is, like WrestleMania, a chance for WWE to put on a huge event and tempt back some part-time guys to compete. Interestingly, Cena wasn't present for SummerSlam last year, but that doesn't mean much moving forward.

The other option is one of WWE's overseas pay-per-view events. The company is slated to return to Saudi Arabia in June, and given how Cena was booked in a huge match against Triple H at last year's Greatest Royal Rumble, it can't be ruled out again that he will once against fly halfway across the world to be involved.

Regardless, don't expect to see Cena on regular programming for a good few months. The next possibility in the U.S. is seemingly ahead of a major pay-per-view like SummerSlam, but with WWE going overseas before then, that's the most likely time when Cena fans will see their hero compete again.