John Cena salutes the crowd at WWE SummerSlam 2015. (Photo : Getty Images/JP Yim)
Fresh off his hilarious monologue and hosting gig at the ESPYS, John Cena signed a development deal with Leftfield Entertainment. The latest rumors imply that Cena may not be getting drafted to SmackDown anymore and may stay on Monday Night Raw due to projects outside the WWE.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cena's deal with Leftfield Entertainment is about co-creating and producing unscripted TV projects in the future. The two sides have already been working with each other as Leftfield Entertainment is the producer Cena's reality show on FOX, "American Grit."
"I'm eager to bring that same work ethic to the team at Leftfield, and to create new kinds of programming that can inspire and push people to be their best. I'm living proof of what you can accomplish when that happens," Cena said in an official statement.
This new deal will make it harder for Cena to become a full-time WWE superstar. Just last year, he missed a couple of months to film "American Grit," a reality competition that involves military-themed exercises.
Besides "American Grit" and the ESPYS, the 15-time WWE world champion will also host the upcoming Teen Choice Awards on FOX in August. He has also played roles in several successful Hollywood films such as "Daddy's Home," "Sisters" and "Trainwreck."
According to Cageside Seats, these outside projects will play a role in which brand he will be assigned on the WWE draft. He was rumored to be the face of SmackDown Live as his presence means ratings. The USA Network triggered the brand extension since they wanted better ratings for SmackDown.
However, a future part-time superstar will not be a good face of the blue brand that is why he may be staying on Raw. Other wrestlers that are rumored to be going to SmackDown include A.J. Styles, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar.
Cena has been the face of the entire WWE since he won his first WWE championship in 2005 at WrestleMania 21. He has been the most consistent performer in the entire company even though the fans' reaction for him is divided.
Nevertheless, the success of his hosting gig at the ESPYS and performance in films will lead to more roles being offered to him. Other WWE superstars that have been very successful in Hollywood include Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who is currently the highest-paid actor in the world, and "Guardians of the Galaxy" star Dave "Batista" Bautista.
Check out the video for Cena's hilarious monologue at the 2016 ESPY Awards.
