Backstage News On John Cena's WrestleMania 39 Status

John Cena will soon make his long-awaited return to the squared circle on the December 30 edition of "WWE SmackDown" — effectively maintaining his impressive streak of wrestling in every consecutive year since 2002. Many are hoping Cena's appearance is more than a one-off, though.

With WrestleMania 39 soon approaching, the WWE Universe hopes that "The Champ" will showcase his in-ring magic in the same place he's spent much of his time in recent years: Hollywood. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it's believed that the 16-time World Champion will be working the event, which is set to take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The report also noted that Cena will be unavailable for in-ring appearances during most of February and March, as he will be filming a movie outside of the United States. This timeframe would also remove Cena from wrestling at WWE Elimination Chamber in February, as the premium live event takes place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Despite his acting commitments though, WWE is reportedly under the impression that Cena is "working on his schedule" to ensure his presence at WrestleMania 39. 

The extent of Cena's expected appearance at WrestleMania is unknown at this time, but a match with Austin Theory was discussed prior to Vince McMahon's retirement over the summer. Though he didn't wrestle, Cena previously appeared on the June 27 edition of "WWE Raw" to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of his debut in the company. He met Theory in a backstage segment there, but no follow-up story ensued.