John Cena is returning to WWE in September (UPDATED)

John Cena popped up on last Friday’s SmackDown, appearing in a pre-tape video with some other big names to congratulate Edge on 25 years in WWE (and maybe his last match — for the company, or anywhere).

He’s far from full-time, but we’ve actually seen quite a bit of the Face that used to Run the Place this year. Last Friday was his first since a surprise appearance at Money in the Bank to pitch WrestleMania London and hit Grayson Waller with an Attitude Adjustment. That was just a few months after his WrestleMania 39 loss to Austin Theory.

And he’s already coming back! FOX Sports just broke the news that Cena will be appearing on the Sept. 1 episode of SmackDown from Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Why? Outside of helping to pop a rating at the start of a Labor Day weekend that includes Payback, this bit from Ryan Satin’s report is the most likely answer:

We’re told Cena will also head to India with the company for its upcoming WWE Superstar Spectacle show at the GMC Balayogi Indoor Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8. It will be WWE’s first live event to take place in India since 2017, and the first-ever WWE live event held in Hyderabad, but it will not be televised in the United States.

No matter how big his Hollywood career gets, John is a WWE company man. And with international growth an obvious priority for the soon-to-officially-be Endeavor-owned company, Cena’s gonna do his part to make their first Indian show since 2017 a success.

Excited for the 16-time WWE World champ’s return? Think he’ll work a match, or just talk before AA-ing a rising star or two?

UPDATE: The man himself says he’s wrestling in India on Sept. 8...