John Cena's Limited WWE Appearances Before SummerSlam 2025

John Cena is gearing up for a limited presence in WWE leading up to SummerSlam 2025, with only two scheduled appearances on SmackDown. His commitments to film projects are keeping him busy, including a Netflix movie and an Amazon Prime film. Cena's upcoming title defense against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam is highly anticipated, but his infrequent appearances have raised questions among fans. Additionally, Drew McIntyre has expressed a lack of interest in facing Cena in a singles match, despite their long-standing rivalry. This article delves into Cena's current WWE schedule and the implications of his limited appearances.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 12, 2025, 14:16 IST

John Cena's Upcoming WWE Schedule

Since the start of his retirement tour in early 2025, John Cena has been a consistent presence on WWE programming. However, he has not been seen on screen since his title defense against CM Punk at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. His appearances are expected to remain infrequent as WWE approaches its major summer event, SummerSlam.

Currently, Cena's next scheduled appearance on WWE television is set for the July 18 episode of SmackDown. Following that, he will appear again on August 1, which will serve as the final episode before SummerSlam. This means that the WWE champion will only be featured on two shows leading up to the summer's main event.

On August 3, Cena will defend his WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes, the winner of the King of the Ring, in the main event of SummerSlam 2025 at MetLife Stadium. This match was confirmed during last week's SmackDown, where Cena retained his title against Punk with the help of Seth Rollins.

John Cena's Busy Schedule

Reports indicate that Cena's limited appearances are due to his commitments to filming the Netflix movie 'Little Brother' alongside Eric André in New Jersey. Additionally, he has been working on another Amazon Prime project titled 'Heads of State,' featuring Idris Elba and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

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Drew McIntyre's Comments on Facing Cena

With only a few appearances left until December, Cena's potential opponents are limited. Recently, Drew McIntyre expressed disinterest in facing Cena in a singles match, despite being asked about it. In an interview with a media outlet, he mentioned his aspirations to become WWE Champion.

“I’ve never had a singles match with Cena. (He’s) been ducking me his entire career. Don’t know why. He tore CM Punk apart that one week on the microphone with a pipebomb. I enjoyed it, and I was like, ‘God, I’d love to come back at Cena on the microphone.’ But he’s not the same John Cena. He’s a little b*tch these days.”