Both John Cena and Charlotte Flair came back to the ring on the last Smackdown of 2022 on Friday and the two used social media to comment about their return and thank fans for the warm welcome.
Cena, who last appeared on Raw in late June to celebrate his 20th year anniversary in WWE, wrestled his first match of 2022, teaming with Kevin Owens against Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.
“Thank you @WWEUniverse for investing your time and energy with me. I never overlook how lucky I am to have 2 decades of moments filled with your voice and passion,” Cena said. “To everyone behind the scenes, in the ring, live and around the world @WWE #ThankYou.”
Cena received an epic intro thanks to the one and only Samantha Irvin, who had that special introduction for the 16-time world champion.
Meanwhile, just a few segments before, Charlotte Flair returned for the first time since Backlash in May. She quickly disposed of Ronda Rousey and won her 14th title, inching closer to her dad’s – and coincidentally, Cena’s – record.
“Whether you love to hate me, hate to love me… Thank you @wwe Universe. I appreciate the warm welcome back,” Flair wrote. “I missed you guys so much. I can’t wait to give you my blood, sweat & tears. New era. New victims. The People’s Queen! Happy New Year!”
In her time away from WWE, Flair recharged her batteries and also married AEW’s Andrade El Idolo.
.@JohnCena IS BACK!!!#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/7ZjCvN98D3
— WWE (@WWE) December 31, 2022
