WWE Loses Star Power Without Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Chris Jericho On ‘Monday Night Raw’

Following the biggest show of 2017, a few of WWE’s top stars will be off TV for the foreseeable future. Brock Lesnar, John Cena and Chris Jericho are gone for the moment after wrestling in some of the biggest matches at WrestleMania 33.

The Undertaker and Goldberg might be done for good after competing in the top two matches at WrestleMania 33, though they weren’t expected to return after the pay-per-view. It’s unknown exactly when Lesnar, Cena and Jericho will return to “Monday Night Raw” or “SmackDown Live,” placing the onus on superstars like Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins and Finn Balor to hold down the main-event scene over the coming weeks and months.

It started with Payback, which was WWE’s first PPV after WrestleMania 33. Strowman and Reigns faced off in the main event, and it appears that their feud isn’t finished just yet. Each wrestler has one PPV victory against the other, and the superstar that ultimately wins the feud will probably get a WWE Universal Championship match against Lesnar, possibly at SummerSlam.

There is speculation that Lesnar’s schedule could feature more dates than it has in recent years, even though he is still a part-time wrestler. But the current WWE Universal Champion hasn’t been seen since the night after WrestleMania 33, and he could be off TV for a few months. Lesnar’s reportedly set to defend his title at WWE’s Great Balls of Fire PPV on July 9, meaning he might not return to “Monday Night Raw” until some time in June.

Not a whole lot is known regarding what WWE has in store for Cena’s future. He hasn’t been on “SmackDown Live” since he defeated The Miz and proposed to Nikki Bella at WrestleMania 33, though he's been in the public eye, making an appearance at the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards Sunday night.

Cena has quietly made the transition to becoming a part-time performer over the last year and a half as he films more movies and explores opportunities outside of WWE. The 16-time world champion makes sure to come back for the biggest events, and he’ll almost certainly be on the SummerSlam card, possibly returning in time for Money in the Bank on June 18.

Backlash on May 21 will be “SmackDown Live’s” first PPV since WrestleMania 33. The brand is lacking star power with the loss of Cena and others in WWE’s recent Superstar Shakeup. As a result, Randy Orton is defending the WWE Championship against Jinder Mahal in the PPV’s main event.

Chris Jericho became a member of the “SmackDown Live” roster last week when he defeated Kevin Owens for the United States Championship at Payback. His time on the blue brand lasted just two days, however, and he said goodbye to the WWE Universe, at least for the moment, with an Instagram post after he lost the title to Owens in their rematch.

Jericho will be back at some point, but he’s on the road with his rock band after a 16-month stint in WWE. He was one of the most entertaining parts of “Monday Night Raw” each week, and he leaves another hole that someone on the roster will be forced to fill.