WWE News: John Cena challenged Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship inside a steel cage (VIDEO)

What's the story?

Fans at last night's WWE Live Event in Uniondale, NY got a massive surprise when they found out that the main event was a steel cage match for the WWE Championship between Daniel Bryan and John Cena.

John Cena vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE title inside a cage 📷🤙 #WWEUNIONDALE pic.twitter.com/LxQofIRzYb

— Kim (@kimberlasskick) December 28, 2018

In case you didn't know...

16-time WWE Champion John Cena has been absent from WWE programming for a major chunk of 2018, choosing to focus on his flourishing Hollywood career instead. However, WWE pulled off a major surprise when Vince McMahon announced on the Christmas-eve episode of Monday Night RAW that Cena will be returning to WWE television next week on both brands - RAW and SmackDown Live.

However, in spite of Cena's return, it looks like he won't be available for the Royal Rumble. Cena begins filming for a new project on 20th January which effectively rules him out for the Rumble.

Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship on the SmackDown Live before Survivor Series, beating then-champion AJ Styles after hitting the latter with a low blow followed by his patented running knee strike. Bryan has since cemented his run as a heel and as always, is one of the most must-see acts on the blue brand.

The heart of the matter

John Cena challenged Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship inside a steel cage at WWE's Live Event in Uniondale, New York.

Eager at the possibility of winning his 17th World Championship, @JohnCena makes his way down to a steel cage at #WWEUniondale!🎥: @alexisIaree pic.twitter.com/KUdW97w14M

— JohnCenaCrews™ (@JohnCenaCrews) December 28, 2018

The match ended with the heel champion hitting Cena with a low blow before escaping the cage. However, the action didn't end there. Cena hit Bryan with an AA after the match to send the fans home happy. He also gave a heartfelt speech to the fans in attendance. You can check out photos and videos below:

#WWEUniondale This is an amazing show! Nothing like wwe show on a Thursday night! Best present ever! John cena is the best sport! pic.twitter.com/RgaWUINS0x

— Jordan (@Jordan62716913) December 28, 2018

What's next?

John Cena returns to RAW and SmackDown next week. We don't know how long this run will be as of now.