• John Cena salutes the crowd at WWE SummerSlam 2015.

John Cena salutes the crowd at WWE SummerSlam 2015. (Photo : Getty Images/JP Yim)

John Cena has been very busy in the past year due to various outside projects and being the top superstar of the WWE. According to the latest rumors, Cena may be taking some time off again because more opportunities being given to him.

The 15-time WWE World champion recently hosted the 2016 ESPYS and Teen Choice Awards, and he passed it with flying colors. He has also starred in several movies and currently hosts his own reality television show on FOX, "American Grit."

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The show was renewed for a second season despite its low ratings and it could mean that Cena will be missing some time again, Cageside Seats reported. Last season was filmed around October 2015 and Cena was written off television. He returned in December but sidelined to start the year due to a shoulder injury.

There were several reports in the past week that speculate Cena is not going to be part of the WWE Backlash pay-per-view on September 11 in Richmond, Virginia. It will be the first SmackDown Live exclusive event since the brand extension.

According to WrestleZone, Cena is also advertised to appear on the WWE's upcoming live event in Shanghai, China. The company has been trying to penetrate the Chinese market this year and having Cena around can make it happen. This could also be one of the reasons he will miss Backlash.

However, the WWE has insisted that the 39-year-old superstar will be appearing on SmackDown's first pay-per-view this September. They took to Twitter to emphasize that the "whole" SmackDown roster will be at Backlash.


Nevertheless, Cena has been the top babyface of the WWE since 2005 and it seems like he is taking a backseat. He is more focused on helping the company become bigger by taking outside projects that have the potential to attract new wrestling fans.

The Cenation leader also signed a new contract with Leftfield Entertainment, the producers of his TV show "American Grit." They will be teaming up to make new reality and unscripted television shows in the future.

Check out the video below for some of the highlights of Cena's opening monologue at the 2016 ESPY Awards.