John Cena wrestled for the first time in five months on Monday Night Raw, and WWE fans were lapping up the movie star’s return.
Legendary performer Cena, 46, appeared on the red brand show’s first episode in the wake of WrestleMania XL.
He teamed up with new Raw Tag Team Champions The Awesome Truth to defeat The Judgement day in a fun tag bout.
It followed a dramatic appearance for Cena the previous night at Mania, where he played a helping hand in the chaos that allowed Cody Rhodes to defeat Roman Reigns to become WWE’s Undisputed Champion.
Cena’s showing on Monday ensured the Pacemaker star continued an impressive personal record for the wrestling giant.
In tangling with the Judgement Day, he ensured he’s now wrestled in a match in every calendar year since his ‘senior’ WWE debut in 2022.
Seeing the veteran performer strut his stuff in the ring again delighted fans on social media, who hailed his presence and ever-impressive physique.
One post on X simply said: “Cena looks so good man.”
Another couple added their unexpected delight at the combination of Cena and Awesome Truth,
One said: I never thought I would love R-Truth this much but he is honestly just super naturally funny and a joy to watch. The tag spot with The Miz and Cena was incredible.”
Another added: “I never thought that one day I would see John Cena team up with the Awesome Truth but indeed this is an awesome moment.”
A further post echoed the point on Cena’s long-running record in the ring, saying: “John Cena has now had a match every year since making his debut in 2002.
“His longevity is incredible.”
Another added: “That Miz, Cena and truth spot was awesome!”
The megastar enjoyed hitting man of his signature spots alongside newly crowned champs Miz and R-Truth, having entered the fray late on to a tremendous crowd rection.
After a treble Attitude Adjustment, Cena’s pinning of JD McDonagh earned the victory.
While Cena’s in-ring record is beyond impressive, the leader of the Cenation has himself admitted his wrestling years are drawing to a close.
That’s backed up by the numbers, too given he wrestled just once in both 2022 and 2020 owing to his considerable filming commitments.
He recently reflected on the Kelly Clarkson show: “You know what, [age] 50 is my absolute line in the sand.
“I would like to try and do it before that, but at 50, I’m just gonna Tweet out: ‘Peace out, see ya.’ That’s it, I’m good.”
Cena remains one of WWE’s most accomplished superstars of all time.
To-date, he’s held the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships a combined 16 times, while also being a five-time United States Champion.
Also on his list of impressive wrestling accolades is a Money in the Bank win, two Royal Rumble match victories and four tag team title reigns.