How John Cena Came to Host WWE WrestleMania 42

John Cena will return to WWE programming sooner than many expected to host WrestleMania 42 later this month.

The WWE retirement tour of John Cena wrapped up last December at Saturday Night's Main Event when the "Never Seen 17" tapped out to Gunther in his final match. Based on his comments following the event, it didn't seem like we'd see Cena back on WWE programming any time soon.

v However, in a move that surprised many, John Cena announced earlier this week that he would be the official host of WrestleMania 42. Cena will return to the same city and venue where he defeated Cody Rhodes last year to capture his 17th World Championship.

But how did all of this come about?

On the latest episode of WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, it was revealed that when John Cena retired from WWE as an active in-ring competitor last December, his hosting WrestleMania this year wasn't part of the plan.

John Cena agreed to a new long-term deal with WWE following his retirement, keeping him with the company for several years to come. WrestleVotes states that Cena was approached back in February about hosting the Showcase of the Immortals this year, and he agreed to do so.

It was noted that WWE made this move to increase ticket sales for WrestleMania 42, which are still far behind those for last year's event in the same stadium.

source: si.com