Buy or Sell The Rock's WWE WrestleMania 41 Role, Jade Cargill Backstage Heat and More

Historically speaking, it feels like the WWE rumor mill can’t get any hotter than this. 

John Cena turned heel. 

It’s not just the fact we’re beelining toward WrestleMania and all the endless rumors that come along with that time of year on the calendar. Big match plans, hinted surprise returns and results, fans know all that jazz. 

But Cena doing a decades-in-the-making heel turn has thrown the entire top of the card for a loop. He won Elimination Chamber, is aligned with The Rock and will face Cody Rhodes, which also puts guys like CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns potentially elsewhere on the card. 

Mash it all together and this might be the peak of the modern pro wrestling rumor mill. Here’s a look at the must-know items and whether fans should buy or sell on each. 

The Rumor

Penta made his long-anticipated WWE debut, which has only led to questions about Ray Fenix. According to WrestleVotes (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), Fenix will be in WWE “sooner rather than later.”

Reaction

It just feels like a matter of time, right? That AEW-WWE pipeline goes both ways and this one as a follow-up to Penta is about as natural as it gets. What’s interesting now is whether Fenix debuts as a solo act or immediately links up with Penta—one way or the other. 

Buy or Sell?

Easy buy. It’s a nice little extra thing to have going into ‘Mania, too, should WWE want to get the Penta-Fenix story in front of as many fans as possible right away. Seeing both in WWE’s presentation should be a wild experience, to say the least. 

The Rumor

What happens with Rock-Cody-Cena is now front and center across the board. According to PW Insider (h/t Ortman), Rock will be involved around the main event of ‘Mania, but won’t actually wrestle. 

Reaction

Rock not actually wrestling in a match seems super obvious after his weird retcons on Raw’s Netflix debut. It’s easy to guess that he’s got movies and the like to film and can’t risk injury. He’s a plot driver but not the main character. 

Buy or Sell?

Buy on Rock’s involvement, sell on him actually working a match. Perhaps fans get a throwback to last year when a few interferences (Stone Cold, anyone?) show up to help out Cody and Rock eats a few moves that way. He’ll be out there, perhaps in a CEO/Vinceish sort of role, but not actually in a match. 

The Rumor

As if the build to ‘Mania wasn’t shocking enough, WWE stunned fans by having Rhea Ripley lose her world title match to IYO SKY. Now, according to WrestleVotes (h/t Ortman), Ripley will get added to the SKY-Bianca Belair match at ‘Mania. 

Reaction

This seems to be the only proper solution and story they’re building, right? Ripley got distracted when Belair, the Elimination Chamber winner, was on the sideline watching her match. SKY capitalized. 

Buy or Sell?

Buy. Ripley could enjoy some much-needed character development after the upset loss. And this whole situation makes the ‘Mania match itself feel super unpredictable. Would they do another title change so quickly? Will Belair assert dominance? Will Ripley undergo some serious growth and triumph? Impossible to say, which is great for a title match. 

The Rumor

Apparently, Jade Cargill has been at the forefront of some backstage drama. According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com (h/t No DQ’s Aaron Rift), Cargill was involved in a confrontation with Shayna Baszler backstage around June of 2024.

Reaction

The timestamp there usggests said confrontation happened near Cargill and Belair teaming up against Baszler and Zoey Stark, so it makes sense on that front. But backstage “confrontations” in literally any sport are a thing, so it’s hard to say what the greater implications are here. 

Buy or Sell?

Let’s sell on this. This feels like something WWE would seed in public right after Cargill returned and attacked Naomi. She’s playing the heel, after all. Even if there was some backstage friction, WWE has a habit of leaning into those things to tell better stories with good characters. 

The Rumor

More Cena-Rock-Rhodes fallout: According to Wrestling Observer (h/t SI’s Zack Heydorn), Rock initially wanted Rhodes to turn heel, but plans shifted to Cena once it was revealed that Rock wouldn’t be able to partake in a match at ‘Mania.

Reaction

This isn’t too shocking, perhaps? Fans have wanted a Homelander-styled heel run from Rhodes since his AEW days and his refusal to do so might’ve played a part in his departure. Surely, folks backstage, Rock included, see the potential in that. 

Buy or Sell?

Buy. Rhodes is the super babyface right now and merchandise mover. All involved clearly made the right call. But a babyface Cena during his retirement tour would’ve made sense, too. This way, fans have an all-timer of a moment, something they’ve always wanted from Cena and Rhodes takes up an underdog role, making him all the more beloved.