Last week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown was the last SmackDown of 2022 and WWE closed out the year in a big way. John Cena made his long awaited return to the ring and he teamed with Kevin Owens to defeat Roman Reigns & John Cena.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that everything was said to be very carefully done in the match, and that John Cena was being protected. Due to FOX pushing the match on NFL games the feeling was that John Cena had to hit the Attitude Adjustment and look strong.
It was also noted that the start of the John Cena & Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns & Sami Zayn match did 2,617,000 viewers and 860,000 in the 18-49 demo.
At this point it’s not clear when John Cena will wrestle again. WWE is hoping to book him for WrestleMania, but so far his status for the big event has not been confirmed.
Thank you @WWEUniverse for investing your time and energy with me. I never overlook how lucky I am to have 2 decades of moments filled with your voice and passion. To everyone behind the scenes, in the ring, live and around the world @WWE #ThankYou. #Smackdown
— John Cena (@JohnCena) December 31, 2022
