WWE Would Be Smart to Book John Cena Like This in WrestleMania Build vs. Cody Rhodes
The globe, even beyond the pro wrestling universe, is waiting to see what John Cena has to say for himself after the shocking, decades-in-the-making heel turn and brutal attack on Cody Rhodes on the road to WrestleMania 41.
Maybe, just maybe, Cena should say nothing at all.
Fans have seen an angry Cena promo plenty of times. They’ve seen fired-up Cena promos. They’ve seen a part-timer Cena downright bullying guys like Austin Theory on the mic to see if the rising talents could sink or swim. Heck, they’ve even seen heel Cena rapping and promo battling a long, long time ago.
What’s scarier than a quiet, monster Cena right now?
Pulling back and really thinking about Cena’s likely reasons for a heel turn in the first place, it boils down to a combination of anxiety and urgency. He’s not the guy anymore—years of losses have been proof of that. So he entered himself in the Elimination Chamber behind a best for business guise and has aligned himself with Rock, a fellow Hollywood crony, to make sure he gets that 17th title reign.
Along the way, there’s a disrespect slant, right? Looking at it from a heel Cena’s point of view, he was booed endlessly for years while at the very top of the sport, dragging it through some shockingly bad times while his impact went unappreciated.
Now that he’s fading and his time is almost up, now he gets cheered? Clearly, he’s not cool with it. The crowd wants to support him while really propping up Rhodes as top dog anyway? Well, they can have him, because they don’t get to have both, not in 2025.
So, build off that—silent and violent Cena. Fans couldn’t “see him” for decades and now they don’t get to “hear him” either.
It would certainly make for some captivating television on the way to ‘Mania. Rhodes, by the week getting angrier due to the lack of an explanation could make for some really interesting character development.
This would also enable some interesting things as far as feuds and even small backstage segments involving Cena. Maybe he lays waste to babyfaces backstage who try to reason with someone they idolized growing up. Given the wealth of people in the business he’s impacted over the years, maybe non-wrestler bystanders like Michael Cole get roughed up, too.
WWE does, after all, need to sell the idea of Cena’s threat level in the ring right now, too. He’s been the “five moves” guy for a very long time and due to sheer ring rust, hasn’t done much beyond those things in his brief appearances over the years.
Perhaps this is a natural way for Cena to tweak his overall in-ring style a bit to fit his age, too. Leaning into more of a brawler-styled fighter who is unbothered by cheating, weapons and otherwise to win would be a refreshing twist.
It’s appealing from an aesthetic standpoint, too. A predominantly black-wearing Cena with dark hair and bald spot removed after looking like a bowl of Fruit Loops for decades to sell merchandise aimed at kids would go nicely with a silent bully who runs roughshod on the rosters.
All at the behest of The Rock, by the way, who is more than happy to be a sort of mouthpiece when he actually shows up.
It helps that the alternatives don’t feel all that appealing. Cena showing up and just revealing all of his reasonings would let the air out of things a little. Him just waxing poetic about mean fans and not being ready to hand over the torch and similar things he could hit on might not feel as captivating.
Retaining an air of mystery while having a threat level the size of Suplex City Brock Lesnar might just make for a really captivating mix. Each week, not knowing which of the three programs he’ll show up to get violent on would make the trio must-see material.
It could be a smart evolution that matches the times, too. Again, we’ve all seen passionate Cena promos. But this is an era where WWE is experimenting with really game-changing ideas, like Kevin Owens turning heel on Rhodes off television and letting the moment go wild on social media. Imagine a few segments like that, or just brief hidden-camera glimpses of conversations between Cena and The Rock or otherwise.
As wild as it might sound, we don’t need to hear why Cena did what he did. Those long-winded chats and stuff were fine when his core target audience was kids. Those kids are all grown up now and still watching—now they just want to see the most common fantasy-booked idea of all time unfold in real time.
No need to hold hands, then. We can all see Cena just fine now, no need to play a stereotypical pro wrestling heel in 2025, either.
Booking CM Punk into Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena WWE WrestleMania 41 Main Event Match
If nothing else, the last week has reminded WWE fans that they really can’t know everything in the plans before it happens.
Now, that same lesson applies in the wake of John Cena’s iconic heel turn to set up the WrestleMania 41 match with Cody Rhodes.
It sure feels like WWE will go with the cut-and-dry Cody vs. Cena tale and call it a day. But there’s a problem—The Rock, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and CM Punk are still in the same area code of the main event without a defined plan.
This is an especially pertinent thing to point out after Punk went out and traded in his pipebomb for a tactical nuke on the Raw after Elimination Chamber while addressing all of his enemies:
That’s an eviseration of the CEO Rock, a fraudulent Cena and more expected jabs at Rollins while invoking the name of Becky Lynch.
Did anyone mention that there’s still that weird “favor” thing lurking in the background that Paul Heyman owes Punk, likely involving Reigns?
So what happens now?
It feels like we can eliminate Rock from actually partaking in a match. He’ll be at ‘Mania in Cena’s corner, no doubt, but his weird retcon and ending of storylines on the Raw debut on Netflix suggests Hollywood commitments or something else won’t let him have an actual match.
Perhaps Punk is the lynchpin to the ‘Mania card, then. Since WWE already semi-wasted the huge Punk vs. Rollins payoff match on that Netflix debut, perhaps they reignite serious old wounds and let The Shield narrative play out one more time with a singles match between Rollins and Reigns.
Fans never really got a good payoff there, either. Just last year as his historic title reign came to an end, Reigns prioritized getting another cheap shot on Rollins and it cost him literally everything. There’s a lot there to still run through leading up to what could be an all-timer of a payoff finale.
Make no mistake, Punk-Rollins is worth revisiting at a later date again—but perhaps once one or the other has a title around their waist again.
That way, Punk can slide into that main event with Rhodes and Cena. While the knee-jerk reaction might be to say no thanks and keep it a one-on-one, Punk being there to eat a pin while the other two guys emerge looking good, despite the outcome, might just be the play.
And let’s not pretend the story isn’t there. Punk is one of Cena’s biggest all-time enemies and the two have shared some of their biggest-ever moments together. Rhodes and the Best in the World go way, way back before even their AEW days and have brushed shoulders in some notable ways since Punk’s WWE return, too.
There are some interesting narrative vehicles to make it happen, too. Punk could call in that “favor” from Heyman, who gets him inserted into the match. Maybe Heyman has some sort of damaging material on Rock to make it happen. Punk, after all, hates Rock for stealing his ‘Mania main event all those years ago, anyway.
Notice a theme here, though? WWE really can’t go wrong. For all we know, Rock will have a match and they opt for Punk “forcing” Rock to handle things himself. Maybe they really revisit the Bloodline saga and go Rock-Reigns, freeing up Rollins-Punk.
Point is, nothing feels set in stone. In a good way, too, compared to last year’s messy, fan-backlash heavy main-event scene that Rock clumsily inserted himself into, eventually spawning that Night 1 tag team match before the normalcy of Night 2.
Overall, though, that Punk promo and all the history sure adds some weight to the idea that he should be getting his WrestleMania main event, after all. If that enables Rollins and Reigns to finally get a conclusion to their own saga, all the better.
What’s funny is, realistically, this year’s ‘Mania could just be the midway point for lots of these stories, too. There’s a heel Cena who said he only had a year left now, too. But plans change, and when the bulk of these guys not named Cody aren’t full-time anyway, this could easily just be Part 1 of something much, much bigger.
Again, WWE can’t go wrong—but Punk’s piece of the puzzle feels especially important to the long-form storytelling WWE so loves right now.
John Cena's Legendary Heel Turn Just Changed Everything for WWE WrestleMania 41
The heel turn pro wrestling fans had fantasy-booked for two decades unfolded at Elimination Chamber, as John Cena aligned himself with The Rock against Cody Rhodes.
In an iconic moment that will stand alongside the likes of Hulk Hogan's heel turn and Seth Rollins' betrayal of The Shield, Cena bloodied Rhodes at Rock's command, cementing a pivot point in pro wrestling history and a shocking path to the main event at WrestleMania 41.
The sheer presentation value of Cena embracing Rhodes and watching Rock for the command was award-worthy, with the subtle acting from both saying so, so much. In the moment, fans had to know what that look from Cena meant…but still couldn't believe it:
The downright wildest and most impressive part of the storytelling? Maybe fans should have seen it coming.
No, seriously, look at the promotional poster:
This was not just the last chance for Cena to go after the fabled heel turn, but perhaps the best opportunity ever presented. He was desperate to make good on his retirement tour with a ‘Mania main event and 17th title win.
Subtle nods were there over the last few weeks, too. Cena submitted himself to the Chamber while everyone else had to earn it. Then, despite his year-long retirement tour, he went off to film something and didn't show up for events.
In the match itself? He was more than happy to capitalize on Rollins stomping CM Punk's head into a metal grate to steal the win and punch his ticket to 'Mania.
Just think about the history there. Remember back in the day at a certain Money in the Bank event when Vince McMahon tried to throw interference in a Punk-Cena title match and Cena told him off? Leading to the Punk upset win before The Best in the World escaped through the crowd?
This time, Cena was more than happy to take the assist. Then, more than happy to play fake-happy for Rhodes until it was time to strike. He's borderline desperate, too, after taking loss after loss as a part-timer for years, quietly realizing he's not really the guy anymore.
Cena was crystal clear after his near-miss at the Royal Rumble that he would do what is best for business. And that, more than anything else, is finally giving fans that heel turn now he's free of the burden of being the company face for children and a merchandise-mover.
What could be bigger and better for business than the worldwide attention gleaned from a heel turn two decades in the making?
This was a heel promo all along.
And Cena, the character…what does he care for fan reactions right now? He was booed endlessly at the top while carrying WWE on his back. Now, when he's universally loved, giving them the middle finger with this turn is downright captivating.
Just as Cena is about to go full-blown Hollywood for good, why not align himself with a major movie player like The Rock and get in good like that? They can even suggest Cena "sold his soul" to The Great One a long time ago, implying that's the reason for his successes there.
There's no telling where this goes from here, truly. Maybe we could guess Cena would actually turn heel Saturday night. But from here? Good luck. Maybe in six months, he will see the error in his ways, repent and go out a babyface on his back.
Or. Or…maybe Cena's the next corporate/board member part-timer who inserts himself into the main roster activities all the time as a new-age Vince McMahon boss-type character for who knows how long?
And that's just the big picture. If Cena truly has less than one year left as a full-time wrestler, he's undoubtedly beating Rhodes at WrestleMania. That puts The American Nightmare back in chase mode, where he's most interesting, and the veteran can run roughshod as the evil boss all his old feuds and new encounters want to conquer.
How does it end? Right now…who cares? The moment is here. Hollywood Cena. Vincena-mania. Call it whatever. Heel Cena is here and the build to WrestleMania 41 couldn't have had a better path.
The golden era of pro wrestling continues. This time with Cena back on top in the best way possible.
CM Punk vs. John Cena: Who Will Turn Heel vs. Cody Rhodes For WrestleMania 41 Match
The Rock added an interesting wrinkle to the WWE Elimination Chamber and the road to WrestleMania 41, which could offer the big development we’ve been waiting for.
During last week’s episode of SmackDown, The Final Boss took part in the most bizarre segment in some time. It was long and repetitive at times, and it didn’t even give fans a definitive answer on his involvement in this year’s event.
Nevertheless, his offer to give Cody Rhodes everything he initially wanted in his first run with the company in exchange for his soul has become the biggest talking point. On the surface, this Faustian deal seemed random and cartoonish compared to the rest of the second generation’s time as the undisputed universal WWE champion.
However, it also aligns with some of the seeds WWE planted with CM Punk and John Cena. It’s hard to imagine The American Nightmare will accept the offer, but this storyline could make his eventual opponent much more interesting.
Will CM Punk Join Forces With The Rock?
Straight away, CM Punk seems like the logical choice after his interaction with Rhodes from the Jan. 22 episode of Raw.
The two have also had unspoken tension since the final moments of the men’s Royal Rumble match in 2024. The 39-year-old ultimately eliminated Punk to punch his ticket to The Showcase of the Immortals and slammed the door on his chance to compete in the main event.
The Second City Saint has also set his sights on championship gold since he wrapped up his feud with Drew McIntyre last year. Now that Jey Uso vs. Gunther is official, he only has one option if he wants to challenge for a world title.
10 years ago, the idea of him siding with The Rock as a corporate champion would’ve been sacrilegious. Today, it’s pretty close to how some of his most vocal critics have characterized his return to WWE following a highly publicized and messy exit in 2014.
Frankly, some of his detractors already think he sold out, so it would make perfect sense to lean into this perception and use it to his advantage. This would create an intriguing dynamic with Rhodes, who has already said he’s “more CM Punk than CM Punk.”
Those words would hit much harder if Punk completely bought in and became the very thing he claimed to hate during his popular claim to fame.
Can WWE Finally Pull Off A John Cena Heel Turn?
WWE also has the opportunity to give fans something they’ve been clamoring for for years.
John Cena’s run as a prototypical white meat babyface was endearing for many viewers worldwide. Conversely, it sometimes became a creative albatross that stifled his character development and alienated fans who grew tired of his do-gooder schtick.
The “Super Cena” era, where he never lost, grew stale and drew a level of disdain that most villains in the same profession could only dream of. It became fun to hate WWE’s top guy and actively root against him between 2008 and 2014.
This infamously led to demands for him to turn heel, and apparently, during his feud with The Rock, there were plans to do so in 2011. So, it’s fitting that a partnership with his former rival could finally spark this character change in 2025.
After his final Royal Rumble appearance, the 47-year-old declared it’s best for business for him to main-event WrestleMania and become a 17-time world champion. It was a stark departure from the earnest promo he cut during the debut episode of Raw on Netflix.
Cena didn’t say he would give it a shot and hope for the best. Instead, he all but guaranteed a win and repeatedly emphasized, “It's what’s best for business,” which is a mantra The Authority popularized.
WWE drove this point home during the video package that aired on Monday night, laying the groundwork for what could be one of the most shocking moments of the year.
The Verdict
Rhodes vs. Cena has been reportedly slated for WrestleMania 41 for months. This leads us to believe he will accept The Rock’s offer and attempt to break Ric Flair’s record for the most world title wins.
Yes, it’s ironic that WWE would do this during his farewell tour when many fans have grown to appreciate him, but there are two ways to look at this. This would be a splendid parting gift for fans who have always wanted to see him turn heel, and it will give his avid haters the chance to boo him one last time.
The reasoning for his turn is also fairly simple. When he couldn’t win on his own as he did at the height of his success, Cena felt he had earned the right to jump the line. In fact, he already skipped the qualifying matches that all the other competitors endured, announcing he would enter the men’s Elimination Chamber match because it’s what’s best for business.
Similarly, he likely feels he has earned the right to cut corners and give in to his impulses because he has spent his entire career playing the nice guy. At his lowest point, when Father Time has caught up with him and the competition has evolved, he will sell his soul for the chance at immortality.
In reality, this will probably lead to a passing of the torch moment for Rhodes, but he needs a proper foil in Cena for it to work.