SmackDown intrigued by Cena's possible return
By Louie Dee
August 29, 2006

Monday night on RAW, John Cena made a blockbuster announcement. Holding a three-year SmackDown contract in his hand, Cena said that he was prepared to leave RAW and sign with SmackDown if he could not defeat Edge for the WWE Championship. They will meet in a TLC Match at Unforgiven with Cena’s RAW life at stake.

If Cena were to lose and head back to SmackDown, many SmackDown Superstars told WWE.com that they would welcome him back with open arms. Of course, everyone had a different motivation for wanting to see Cena tear up Friday nights.

First and foremost, General Manager Theodore Long would love to have the former WWE Champion back under his employ.

“I think it would mean great things to have Cena on SmackDown; he was a great champion, and I hated to lose him to RAW in the first place,” the General Manager told WWE.com. “But hey, what goes around comes around playa, so hopefully we’ll see Cena back on SmackDown.”

Rey Mysterio, who teamed with Cena when he first came to SmackDown in 2002, would also love to have his friend back on Friday nights.

“John Cena was first recognized on SmackDown; this is where he blew up. He made our show better, and it would be a pleasure for me to see Cena back on SmackDown,” Rey Mysterio told WWE.com. “Knowing how competitive he’s been and the name he’s made, I would be pleased to have him back. This is where he became known, and so I think the SmackDown fans would be happy to have him back as well.”

The current World Heavyweight Champion, King Booker, had a long rivalry with Cena over the United States Championship in 2004. And while the King wouldn’t mind having Cena in his Kingdom, he did say that Cena would have to know his role.

“John Cena…a man I underestimated in the past. That is something I will not do in the future,” the King declared. “Cena has proven that he is worthy of where he is; but if he comes back to the SmackDown kingdom, he will have to, just as every other person who walks into the promised land has to, and that is bow down to his benevolent King, King Booker. We would welcome Cena back to King Booker’s SmackDown kingdom.”

JBL also had a long rivalry with Cena, just prior to Cena being sent to RAW in the 2005 Draft Lottery. Now that he’s a commentator, however, JBL said that he would like to see Cena back for the good of the brand.

“I would enjoy seeing Cena back. I was the top dog when I was around, but now that I’m a commentator, I’m rooting for SmackDown,” JBL explained. “I believe that King Booker is the best talent in WWE, and if you add Cena to that mix, the battle would be phenomenal. The match between Cena and Edge at SummerSlam was one of the best matches I’ve ever seen. Having Cena back here, despite my personal disagreements with him in the past, would be great. In our "I Quit" Match (at Judgment Day in May 2005) we took each other to the limit; I know him better than almost anyone in WWE, and I’d be thrilled to see him back.”

And of course, there are those Superstars who want to see Cena on SmackDown solely for personal gain…such as the brash Mr. Kennedy.

“I’ll tell you what…I especially would welcome him back with open arms, because I would enjoy nothing more than whooping his ass in a SmackDown ring.”

It would be foolish to believe that anyone on SmackDown would not want a Superstar the caliber of John Cena to come to Friday nights. But after Unforgiven, everyone will know whether Cena will be burning up The CW this fall or not. Will his 15-month stay on RAW come to an end in Toronto?