With just a little over two weeks away from WWE's annual SummerSlam event, the show is shaping up nicely, although a couple surprises wouldn't hurt. John Cena and The Rock would be nice additions to what WWE has often labeled the biggest party of the summer with a sudden open schedule.

Writers/Actors strike opens opportunity for The Rock, John Cena returns

Hollywood is currently in the middle of a writers and actors strike, bringing all current and future television and movie productions to a screeching halt. The strike began after writers and actors alike determined that studios were profiting more and more off these productions, while the performers and creative minds behind them were receiving less and less pay. As of right now, around 12,000 writers and 65,000 actors are all exchanging their scripts for picketing signs, clamoring for fair wages in the midst of higher inflation and lack of clarity with streaming payouts, according to CBS News.

Being that WWE falls somewhere between the category of sports and entertainment, not to mention a lack of a union, all of their writers and performers are still on the job. That gives an opportune time for two of the biggest stars in WWE history to make a return.

With The Rock and Cena's WWE background, they have the unique opportunity to each make a surprise return to the company that made them. Not many other actors in Hollywood have that luxury. Granted, it's not that The Rock or Cena are hurting financially, but the fact that two of the bigger names in Hollywood now have an open schedule makes a WWE return all the more intriguing.

Strikes are ugly, where those outside of it, namely the fans, are prone to misunderstanding the meaning behind them. It would be easy to imagine that most are viewing these strikes as nothing more than greed. The writers, and in this case particularly, the actors, could now easily be considered the villains in this story. The Rock and Cena therefore have an opportunity to do what most have always said they want to do as performers, that being giving back to the fans.

Could John Cena, The Rock return at SummerSlam?

John Cena

Cena has been present more than The Rock has been as of late. At this point in his career, between his age and his movie career, he's very much a part-timer, though. He made an appearance at WrestleMania 39 this year, facing Austin Theory for the United States Championship, losing in the opening match. And most recently, he appeared in London, at the Money in the Bank PLE to, of all things, encourage WrestleMania to come across the pond in the future.

Cena will most likely continue to make these types of appearances for the rest of his career, with presumably even more to come this year. Even with his movie career blossoming as it has over the last couple years, the multi-time WWE Champion always makes time for the WWE Universe. At 46-years-old, there's still some left in the tank if he wants to step back inside a ring, as WrestleMania was proof.

The Rock

The Rock, on the other hand, hasn't been on WWE television since October of 2019, when he helped celebrate the 20th anniversary of SmackDown. Of course, The Rock's schedule has also been a little more hectic than… well, any human being on earth, as he's seemingly got his hands in about everything, from movies to Under Armour apparel to Termana tequila to even the XFL. WWE has definitely been put on the backburner.

However, he has been often rumored to matchup with his cousin and current WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns just as of this year's WrestleMania. That's often been a dream match discussed, especially at this juncture, with as popular as The Bloodline storyline has been. And now with the story looking to wrap up in the near future, the rumors are bound to start swirling again if the Black Adam star will finally make the move.

The Rock just turned 51 back in May, so the clock is quickly ticking away on how long this could be conceived as a viable match worth watching. Even with The Rock having less miles put on his body due to choosing acting over wrestling all those years ago, age is still a concern, as it would be for anybody. Just going back to some of his last matches in the company, the former 10-time WWE Champion suffered a torn hamstring and torn abductor and abdominal muscles, both occurring in the back-to-back WrestleMania matches with Cena.

The Rock and Reigns can't happen at this year's SummerSlam but an appearance from The Great One would perhaps start the next chapter in this ongoing family story.

The Rock and John Cena don't have to wrestle

As much as fans would love to see either of these two superstars get in the ring at SummerSlam, they don't have to wrestle to make a return. Given the circumstances, just having them back on WWE television would be a huge deal in and of itself, even more so if they were together in some capacity. Although, between the two, Cena would more than likely have a match over The Rock since he's wrestled more recently. The Rock would more than likely need much more time to prepare for a match and get into ring shape. If this strike continues, maybe he'll have that time.

A Hollywood shutdown doesn't mean that the entertainment industry has stopped. The WWE is evident of that, staying with the notion that show must always go on. By not having to adhere to the same standards and practices of the events within the movie and television industry, the WWE now has a chance to capitalize by welcoming two of the biggest stars the industry has ever seen back to their platform. SummerSlam seems like a good place for a welcome back party.