John Cena got a WWE Title shot at a live event in Uniondale this week, replacing AJ Styles who couldn't make the show due to illness.

As has become the norm for John Cena in recent years, The Franchise Player has returned to WWE for the company's post-Christmas tour. He will also be sticking around and appearing on Raw and SmackDown Live, as announced by Vince McMahon on Christmas Eve. Makes sense as once the festive season is out of the way, the build to Royal Rumble and then WrestleMania can really begin.

Now that Cena is back, speculation can begin on what exactly WWE has planned for him. After more than 16 years with the company, there really isn't much left for him to do. 16 World Titles and rivalries with pretty much everyone who has passed through WWE during his time there. The most likely scenario is at WrestleMania 35, Cena wins his 17th World Championship, thus breaking Ric Flair's long-standing record.

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The seeds for that eventuality may have been sewn this past Thursday. At a WWE live event in Uniondale, Cena wrestled Daniel Bryan inside a steel cage for the WWE Championship. Obviously, Cena didn't win, we probably would have led with that otherwise. In fact, it seems the only reason he was in the match was to replace AJ Styles who is reportedly suffering from an illness.

You can check out a couple of fan-shot clips from the match above and below. If Bryan's run with Styles is coming to an end, the next logical challenger to the champ would be Cena. As we outlined above, the only thing left for Cena to do in WWE is to win that elusive 17th title. He could do it on Raw by beating Brock Lesnar but since both guys are part-time, getting both men on the same episode of Raw might prove to be a headache.

What should be noted is that Cena is currently not scheduled to appear for WWE beyond January 14, 2019, according to SE Scoops. The list of dates provided by the site also doesn't include any Tuesdays despite Mr. McMahon stating Cena will be appearing on SmackDown Live sometime soon. The long-tenured Superstar has also promised that he will have a part to play at WrestleMania 35. 

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