John Cena's return is a "waste" and "means nothing" according to WWE veteran (Exclusive)

John Cena's return to in-ring action on this week's SmackDown was a bad booking decision, according to former WWE writer Vince Russo.

Cena will team up with Kevin Owens to face Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn in a blockbuster tag team match. The 16-time world champion has not competed in a televised WWE bout since losing to Reigns at SummerSlam 2021.

On Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo with Dr. Chris Featherstone, Russo questioned why Owens was selected as Cena's tag team partner. He believes the returning WWE Superstar will be unable to raise the Canadian's profile in the way Steve Austin did at WrestleMania 38:

"What could John Cena possibly do that was bigger than what Steve Austin did, bro?" Russo said. "To me, it's such a freaking waste. I swear, it's an absolute waste for them to bring Cena in for this angle because it means nothing. You don't bring a guy like this back for a tag match. Come on, I don't care how desperate you are for ratings." [15:36 – 16:10]

Watch the video above to find out Russo's thoughts on several WWE topics, including the Hulk Hogan vs. John Cena greatest of all time debate.

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Why Vince Russo thinks the John Cena-Kevin Owens partnership is "ridiculous"

In April, Steve Austin defeated Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38 in his first WWE match since 2003. Although Owens lost, his stock rose significantly after the event.

Like Austin, John Cena is considered to be among WWE's greatest superstars in history. However, Russo struggles to understand why another legendary name is being booked to share the spotlight with Owens:

"I'm thinking that this is a one and done, and if it's a one and done, what else is the guy gonna do but come in and give Owens the rub and make Owens look good? My God, though, bro, it's ridiculous to me that we're even talking about this because wasn't Austin supposed to give Kevin Owens the rub? Is [Hulk] Hogan gonna come in next? Bring in everybody to give Kevin Owens the rub!" [15:06 – 15:35]

The upcoming tag team partners have not crossed paths in a match since WWE Super Show-Down 2018 in Australia. On that occasion, Cena joined forces with Bobby Lashley to defeat Elias and Owens.

Do you think the John Cena-Kevin Owens pairing is a good idea? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.