5 reasons why WWE may be planning John Cena vs Elias at WrestleMania 36

John Cena's appearances in WWE have decreased drastically. In 2019 alone, he wrestled one match to put over Finn Balor, while his other two appearances would be at WrestleMania 35, returning as the Doctor of Thuganomics and a cameo to kickstart RAW Reunion.

He's taken a considerable step back from the spot he was and has been selfless in doing so - not only giving other stars the spotlight but putting over many big names in the last few years, including the likes of Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bray Wyatt, etc.

He wasn't expected to compete at WrestleMania this year but according to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, Cena is scheduled to face Elias at the grandest stage of them all this year.

It's undoubtedly a disappointing match-up since it seems to be a waste of a rare John Cena match. However, there are signs and reasons why the road is leading to that match and here are a few of them.

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#5. It's only going to be a short squash match

Elias looking at the ceiling of the Mercedes Benz Superdome

Whether we like it or not, the format of WrestleMania has changed for good in the last few years. It's changed to such an extent that there have been considerations of a 2-day WrestleMania - and at this point, it seems all but inevitable.

Over the past 3-4 years, WrestleMania has changed into an event that constantly exceeds the 4-5 hour limit. With WWE being able to broadcast it on their network, timing has become less of an issue.

As a result, there is a necessity for a squash match or a cool-down match on the card to energize them again. Cena's appearance may simply be to have a quick squash match.

Before we move on to the next slide, gear up by listening to our exclusive interview with the former IMPACT Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie!

#4. The last two WrestleMania's saw them both involved with each other

When Elias fooled Cena and the WWE Universe

It may not have been intentional to book Elias and John Cena in a WrestleMania segment two years in a row, but the timing worked out perfectly. The first one at WrestleMania 34 saw Cena plead The Undertaker to come out for a match for the last time before the lights went out.

While everyone (including us) thought that The Undertaker was finally coming out, it was Elias who fooled the audience, infuriating Cena and leading to the 16-time World Champion attacking him.

The year after that was the Doctor of Thuganomics segment and while we're not sure that this is a case of "long-term storytelling", things probably lined up well for WWE, or so they thought. There had been some intention a couple of years ago to push Elias as a serious top star but since he's been on SmackDown, his momentum has somewhat fizzled. He's even moved back and forth as a babyface and heel.

#3. Lars Sullivan isn't available

Lars Sullivan confronting Vince McMahon

Lars Sullivan was originally slated to debut in early 2019 along with other superstars such as EC3, Lacey Evans, Aleister Black, Ricochet, etc. However, an unfortunate anxiety attack led to him pulling out of his planned debut.

As a result, he was kept out of programming until post-WrestleMania 35 and a planned match against John Cena was shelved. Things didn't get any easier for Sullivan upon his return, as he suffered a major injury that would keep him out until the rest of 2019.

We're almost two months into 2020 now and there's still no sign of Sullivan, no rumors of a return or anything as such. He had another small "controversy" (more like a discovery) about his past and after that, there has been no indication of his return.

It's possible that WWE still wanted to go with that match for WrestleMania 36 but due to his unavailability, they had to choose between the likes of Elias and King Corbin for John Cena's opponent at WrestleMania.

#2. WWE thinks Elias will get the "rub" from losing to John Cena

Elias taking the fall

Let's be real. It's hard to imagine a scenario where John Cena loses to Elias at WrestleMania 36 - nor should he. With Cena only wrestling rarely, he should be treated like a bigger deal and only lose when the situation requires him to.

When you think of superstars he can put over - the likes of Bray Wyatt come to the fray - not Elias. Dave Meltzer told Bryan Alvarez that the mentality behind booking this match is that Elias will get the "rub" from losing to Cena. Here's a snippet of their conversation:

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Meltzer: I mean, I know what the mentality is, the mentality is...

Alvarez: This I've got to hear because I don't know the mentality.

Meltzer: He is going to get the rub from losing to John Cena.

Alvarez: Oh, come on! Get out of here!

Meltzer: You know that they think that way.

Alvarez: I can't believe they still think things like that in 2020.

Meltzer: They do!

Alvarez: Well, good luck with that.

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In all likeliness, this is a big sign and reason that they're going to face off.

#1. All other top stars are booked in a major match

John Cena having a word with the referee

This is likely the biggest reason why John Cena hasn't been booked in a major match at the show of shows. Simply put, all major superstars could be booked in a match. When looking on top of the card of both RAW and SmackDown, there aren't many opponents that don't have matches but we're yet to see what's in store for the likes of Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Samoa Joe - who have all been involved in their storyline for a while now.

We could argue that Samoa Joe would be a fresh opponent for John Cena but he only turned babyface towards the end of 2019 and it's far too soon for him to turn heel again. With that said, that would be our pick for the most exciting possible match-up that Cena could have.

But the reality is that WWE has moved on and doesn't need Cena in regular programming anymore, which is they likely make major plans without him. It's sad, but only inevitable.