The face of the franchise appears to be taking some time off soon -- which could provide a huge opportunity for the rest of the WWE roster.

Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt Predictions

For the last decade, John Cena has been the man when it comes to sports entertainment, racking up 15 World Championships, leading the charge in merchandise sales and being the go-to guy to carry the roster. His standing in the WWE ranks, however, has held some other stars down.

Cena is taking some time off and will miss several editions of Monday Night RAW in October and November, according to Wrestlingheadlines.com, giving ample opportunity for new Superstars to take the torch. Here are five athletes who could benefit from the absence of Cena.

Nikki Bella Disses WWE Legend

1) Roman Reigns

The leader of the Roman Empire was the WWE's hand-picked Cena successor, but since main eventing WrestleMania, he has sauntered down the card significantly. The WWE has kept Reigns looking strong and reportedly has plans to push him to the moon again, so he can really catch his stride with Cena on the backburner.

2) Dean Ambrose

"The Lunatic Fringe" has been booked pretty poorly since the split of The Shield, losing more matches than Reigns and Seth Rollins and not being given the high-profile storylines his former stablemates have. The WWE has paired him with Reigns, but they shouldn't forget about him when his tattooed partner gets pushed again.

3) Kevin Owens

The former NXT Champion got a great rub by Cena in their feud and then got lost in the shuffle until he captured the Intercontinental Championship. With Cena, the U.S. Champion gone, Owens' midcard title will gain that much more importance and open the door for him to turn some heads.

4) Cesaro

The Swiss Superman had some amazing matches with Cena earlier this year, but the WWE for whatever reason has never given him a mega push. Cesaro has all the intangibles and X-factors the WWE looks for in a star, and it should really consider changing his standing in the organization.

5) Dolph Ziggler

"The Showoff" should be given a heel turn and feud with Cena, but if the "Cenation" leader is absent, the WWE can at least get the ball rolling by turning Ziggler in to a villain. The four-time Intercontinental Champion has already shown a character change by hitting on Nikki Bella during "Total Divas," so it would be easy for the WWE to change his character and build him up for a rivalry with the "Cenation" leader while the face of the franchise is gone.

For more coverage, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN and Like Us on Facebook