WWE Title-holder to place-holder: How John Cena's position in WWE changed after 2019

John Cena stands as arguably the greatest wrestler of all time in WWE, with a stunning record of 16 World Titles, five United States Championships, two Royal Rumble victories, and much more. Having returned to the company in December 2022 for his first official match in over a year, Cena is now looking to win the US Championship title for the sixth time in his career. The 45-year-old is up against the reigning US champion Austin Theory at the WrestleMania 39 premium live event this weekend.

Ahead of the much-anticipated match between Cena and Theory, let's check out how his career has transformed from that of a WWE title-holder to a veteran superstar putting youngsters on the map. Theory has been hailed as the prodigy of Cena due to their similar styles by the WWE on many occasions. It will be safe to say that the championship match against his idol will be the biggest fight of his career so far.

WWE WrestleMania 39: When was the last time John Cena won a championship?

The last time John Cena won a championship was back in 2017 when he earned the WWE title after defeating AJ Styles at WWE Royal Rumble 2017. His title reign lasted for less than a month as he lost the title to Bray Wyatt at WWE Elimination Chamber 2017. Despite the end of his title reign, he was a regular appearance in WWE’s shows till 2019.

His last TV appearance in 2019 came during the January 14 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, when he lost the fatal four-way match to determine the no. 1 contender for the WWE Universal Championship. He then appeared at WrestleMania 36 in 2020 for the Firefly Fun House segment. He suffered a loss to The Fiend at the PPV and remained absent from the show for the next one year and four months.

Over a year later, Cena yet again received an extended run in the promotion, which saw him fighting for the WWE Universal Title at SummerSlam 2021. He again suffered a loss at the hands of Roman Reigns, helping The Tribal Chief to extend his winning run in WWE. Going ahead, the Hollywood megastar helped The Mysterious earn a win over The Bloodline in the September 10 episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown.

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WWE WrestleMania 39: John Cena's recent run in the company

Cena then notably appeared on the December 30 episode of SmackDown to team up with Kevin Owens for a win against Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn. This was an important win for Owens, who later faced Roman Reigns for the undisputed WWE championship title at Royal Rumble 2023. In his next appearance, the 46-year-old was again seen helping young talents to rise through the WWE ranks on Monday Night Raw. In a release announcing the John Cena vs Austin Theory match for WrestleMania 39, WWE said, “The Leader of the Cenation initially gave a definitive "no" in response to the offer, however, decimating Austin on the mic by explaining that the WWE Universe doesn't believe Austin Theory because Theory doesn't believe himself”. 

“Cena said the champion was not ready to face him at WrestleMania because there is nothing inside him. When the irate titleholder brought the crowd into it the mix, however, and attempted to belittle "The Greatest of All Time," Cena was backed into a corner and reluctantly agreed. But he made it clear that win or lose, there is no way Austin Theory can come out on top in a match against him on The Grandest Stage of Them All,” added WWE.