WWE Rumors on John Cena, Roman Reigns; Tiffany Stratton Reacts to Mandy Rose Diss
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Cena Reportedly Planned to Win Elimination Chamber
John Cena fell just short in his attempt to win the men's Royal Rumble match last weekend, but there is reportedly a huge victory in his future.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlePurists), Cena has been planned to win the men's Elimination Chamber match "since probably October or November."
Last year, Cena announced that 2025 would be his final year in WWE as an active in-ring competitor.
On the debut episode of Raw on Netflix, Cena made it his stated goal to win the Rumble, go on to WrestleMania 41 and become a 17-time world champion, which would break his tie with Ric Flair for the all-time record.
Cena seemed destined for victory once he made it to the final two with Jey Uso, but Uso shocked the wrestling world by eliminating Cena for the victory.
After the Rumble, Cena addressed the media during the Royal Rumble post-show and stressed the importance of winning the Elimination Chamber match to earn a world title match at WrestleMania.
Rather than being forced to qualify, Cena was given a spot in the Chamber match, meaning he will be one of six Superstars in the high-stakes match in Toronto.
It was widely assumed coming out of the Rumble that Cena was the Elimination Chamber favorite, so Meltzer's report about WWE's long-term plans for Cena to win the Chamber comes as little surprise.
Reported Reasoning for Reigns Injury Angle
Seth Rollins' stomp to Roman Reigns' head at Royal Rumble was reportedly done for a reason beyond building a storyline between Reigns and Rollins.
According to Meltzer (h/t WrestlePurists), the stomp was meant to write Reigns off television so he doesn't have to take a pin in the upcoming Elimination Chamber match.
During the latter stages of the men's Royal Rumble match, Reigns and Rollins were battling near the ropes when CM Punk emerged and threw both of them out of the ring at the same time.
While admiring his handiwork, Punk was then shockingly tossed out by Logan Paul, taking three of the top contenders out of the equation.
The three Superstars argued outside the ring until Rollins stomped Reigns' head onto the floor and then threw hands with Punk. Rollins then upped the ante by stomping the Tribal Chief's head onto the steel stairs.
Punk has already qualified for the men's Elimination Chamber match along with Cena, and it seems highly likely that Rollins will earn his way into the match as well.
Assuming that happens, it is easy to envision Reigns making an unannounced appearance at Elimination Chamber to screw Rollins and perhaps even Punk out of the victory.
PWInsider.com (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) reported coming out of the Rumble that Reigns vs. Rollins vs. Punk in a Triple Threat is the current plan for WrestleMania 41.
If that is indeed the case, the stage has been properly set to build toward three of WWE's top stars clashing on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Stratton Responds to Mandy Rose's Critical Comments
WWE women's champion Tiffany Stratton clapped back at former WWE star Mandy Rose in an interview this week.
During an appearance on Ring The Belle, Stratton was asked about Rose recently saying on her podcast that Stratton used her slogan, "Put some respect on my name." Rose added, "This b---h even used like the same kind of tone."
Stratton's response suggested that she isn't sweating Mandy's confrontational tone, as she replied: "Honestly, I think it's a little sad that she felt the need to go on her podcast and say something like that. But, I wish her the best, honestly."
When Stratton began her WWE run in NXT in late 2021, Rose was in the midst of what would become a 413-day reign as NXT women's champion, which is the third-longest reign in the history of the title.
Before getting released from WWE in December 2022, Rose had gone back to NXT after experiencing success on the main roster, and she seemed to finally be hitting her stride as a pro wrestler.
At the same time, Stratton established herself as one of the fastest-rising stars in NXT history, and she eventually became NXT women's champion in her own right.
After getting called up to the main roster, Stratton won the women's Money in the Bank ladder match last year, and she successfully cashed it in on Nia Jax to become WWE women's champion last month.
Despite her relatively limited experience, Stratton has been positioned as one of the top women's wrestlers in WWE, and she is likely to compete in a huge singles match at WrestleMania 41.
With that in mind, it isn't surprising that Stratton is choosing to avoid engaging with anything that distracts from her rise to the top of WWE.
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All Signs Point to John Cena Finally Turning Heel During WWE Retirement Tour
How wild would it be if 2025 finally gives pro wrestling fans the endlessly requested John Cena heel turn?
Try not to laugh off the idea, as outlandish as it might seem. Sure, on first pass, Cena spending his retirement tour over the next year as a heel seems impossible.
There's a big but to tack on here, though—Cena's post-Royal Rumble press conference was interesting, to say the least.
In the wake of being one of the final two wrestlers in the men's Royal Rumble match and getting eliminated by Jey Uso, Cena hit his presser and threw out some interesting tidbits.
Tidbits, such as simply declaring himself as having earned an elimination Chamber spot already, which he swears he'll win so that he can go on to win his 17th title.
Seriously—just listen to the rant. It's probably one of the best things on the mic Cena has done over the last decade. And beyond that, there sure are a lot of heel-aligned things going on there.
For one, he's simply taking a spot in the chamber, unearned. He's unabashedly running off to film a movie until then. He utters the infamous Triple H/Stephanie/Authority-isim "best for business" more than three times.
There are little good-guy Cena things in there, like looking forward to eventually raising the arm of the guy in the future who wins No. 18, surpassing him. But the whole thing is laced with toeing-the-line heel work that simply doesn't fit with his usual "my time is now" Cena stuff.
The overarching outlook of WWE adds weight to this idea tenfold. After the silly retcons from The Rock at the oddly corporate Raw on Netflix debut, it's clear Dwayne Johnson won't be the Final Boss heel at 'Mania. While recent events have flirted with heelish Cody Rhodes, that doesn't seem to be happening, either—especially if Cena is his WrestleMania opponent.
So who is the big bad? Cena just raised the arm of Jey after the rumble. Raised the arm of, in fact, a younger version of himself—Jey is the guy moving stunning merchandise sales right now who is super, super over with children. He's the new guy who simply won't be permitted to turn heel for the foreseeable future, no matter how badly older fans might want to see that complex character development.
Cena is, in a word, free. Some of those obligations to the industry he talks about in the presser, he's free of those now. Jey has his old spot. Cody is a Cena-lite. Roman Reigns is going face. CM Punk will get cheered no matter how bad his actions become.
No doubt there's a super-compelling story to tell here, too. One angle? Cena indeed wins the Elimination Chamber and goes after Rhodes at 'Mania. He could cut some fantastic promos, taking an entire stance about how he's coming for what's rightfully his in the house he built.
Perhaps even more engrossing? Cena loses at Elimination Chamber and just spirals. He's not the franchise player anymore. That Ruthless Aggression era he created? He doesn't have that anymore. And while the locker room obviously respects him, they don't need him. Losing, plus one snide comment from a Seth Rollins about running off to film movies like Dwayne, and buddy, away the story goes.
Cena put a big emphasis on Saturday being his last Royal Rumble and this 'Mania also being his last. That could end up being true. But this is pro wrestling and those statements could easily be a swerve, too. This is the era of long-form storytelling and frankly, Cena deserves that type of treatment, too.
The alternative just feels too obvious and mediocre. He wins the chamber, beats Rhodes at 'Mania, drops it at SummerSlam and leaves for good?
That's just too easy.
What's refreshing is that when we say heel turn, in modern WWE under Triple H, it can be a sensible heel and not outright evil to the point of goofiness. An angry, motivated Cena who just realized this really is the end of the line and the happy-go-lucky grandpa who shows up to have fun just ain't gonna cut it. Stuff can work. He won't cheat, but getting uber-violent and any means necessary while destroying the locker room on the mic like their name was Austin Theory? It sounds fantastic.
Many probably didn't envision and can't imagine Cena playing the role of a heel as he says goodbye. But fans also know Cena—if it's going to do the best job of putting over the next generation as he goes out on his back, so be it.
If all the signs so far are Cena just evolving to match the times, the fact he just organically feels like a heel just makes him that much more organic as he bows out, too.
Video: John Cena Says He'll Win Elimination Chamber, Then 17th Title at WrestleMania
After coming up short in the Royal Rumble, John Cena wasted no time in declaring for the Elimination Chamber.
Cena said during the Royal Rumble post-show press conference he will take part in the men's Chamber match, vowing to win and go on to WrestleMania where he intends to win his record-setting 17th world title.
The Rumble marked Cena's first match since the Raw after WrestleMania 40 on April 8. He returned to television on the Jan. 6 episode of Raw to kickoff his 2025 retirement tour.
On that show, Cena talked about how his last victory in a televised singles match was over Triple H at the Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018 and his only path to competing for a title was by winning the men's Rumble match.
Cena made it to the final two, along with Jey Uso, but he was unable to get the win when Main Event Jey slipped behind after being lifted up for an Attitude Adjustment and kicked Cena off the apron.
This continues the long-term story of Cena not being able to win on his own. It also allows WWE to build toward his first WrestleMania match in two years when he lost to Austin Theory.
If the rumored plan of Cena challenging Cody Rhodes for the undisputed WWE title at WrestleMania is still on, it makes sense to immediately start the build for Cena at the Elimination Chamber.
Cena's 16 career world title wins are tied with Flair for the most recognized reigns in WWE history. His last title victory was over A.J. Styles at the 2017 Royal Rumble.
There will be six competitors in the men's Chamber match, including Cena. The Elimination Chamber premium live event will take place on March 1 from the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
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Jey Uso's 2025 Royal Rumble Win Is WWE's Most Questionable Decision of Triple H Era
At the 2025 edition of the Royal Rumble, WWE and Triple H picked perhaps the strangest time of all to pull off a swerve for shock value.
There, with John Cena and Jey Uso the only wrestlers left standing in the men's Rumble match and a trip to the main event of WrestleMania 41 at stake, it was easy to think The GOAT was on his way to starting his retirement tour with a bang.
But WWE just couldn't resist the swerve—Jey eliminated Cena.
Somewhere in here, we have to acknowledge it is a really cool moment for Jey, organically getting over with crowds in a big way and breaking free as a solo act. This is what fans demand: Reward those who climb the ladder.
But so much about pro wrestling is about timing...and this just isn't it.
In what was perhaps the most stacked Royal Rumble roster many of us will ever see, there wasn't a justifiable reason to have somebody like Jey steal the win. With Cena as one of the final two on a night Charlotte Flair already won a Rumble match, it's really hard to shake the feeling that WWE went for shock value and as a way to balance the scale.
Now, 'Mania looks mid.
To be blunt, Jey's match against Jimmy Uso last year was an 11-minute, universally panned disaster. His singles work since hasn't inspired the confidence that should turn around and hand him a main event.
Ditto for the booking outlook. What's the plan here? He's not going after Cody Rhodes, assuming Cena wins at Elimination Chamber. And he's had plenty of singles encounters with Gunther already. That's a match that feels like it could be the main event on a decent Raw at this point.
It doesn't help the case that this was a fantastic match before the end result. There was lots of drama, good storylines unfolding and little wrinkles that will have long-reaching effects in a new era that favors long-form storytelling.
But most will remember this Rumble for the end result.
A shame, because to get here, Logan Paul, of all people, eliminated CM Punk. He only has so many Rumbles left and has yet to actually main-event a 'Mania. WWE threw his blood feud with Seth Rollins onto a silly debut episode of Netflix instead of the main event it deserves to be.
Rollins' post-elimination meltdown clearly hints at what should be a Triple Threat with Punk and Roman Reigns. But again, that's a main event-level match that should have a title.
And while The Visionary just keeps endlessly getting plastered as the third wheel despite being a modern GOAT, Reigns clearly isn't getting a match with The Rock.
It's not like there weren't alternatives if WWE didn't want to lean on some of the above names. Put over Dominik Mysterio. Give LA Knight his moment. Where was Randy Orton?
Again, it smacks a little contrarian to nitpick this result, as most have begged WWE for years to build up the next generation of stars. Jey is unquestionably over, at least when it comes to entrances and catchphrases (and those sweet, sweet merchandise sales).
But ushering in the Netflix era with so many new eyeballs on the product and actively choosing Jey over Punk, Rollins, Reigns and any number of other big names just feels downright wild. And not just choosing Jey, but putting him in a retread matchup that has already been done...also wild.
There won't be much in the way of momentum, should Jey end up beating Gunther at 'Mania, either.
It feels like most fans have soured on The Ring General's run in the first place, so Jey beating a guy limping to the end of his reign and turning into a Rhodes-lite sort of main eventer isn't going to be a great start to his run.
What's worrisome is that with Jey, WWE is taking this sort of "cinema" era the wrong way.
The Bloodline was super-over because of the long-form storytelling and great matches (they'll look better in hindsight, just wait). All the cool camera angles and epic entrances for guys like Jey are cool, but it still needs to be pro wrestling. Meaning, it needs to translate to the ring and make sense.
Right now? At this specific Rumble? Jey winning didn't make sense. It got a big pop, but it's a cheap one, too.
Compare this to that historic Rumble where WWE finally pulled the trigger on Drew McIntyre. He took down Brock Lesnar, was clearly the guy in every respect and went on to carry the company on his back through a wild era.
By comparison, even Cena raising Jey's hand at the end can't remove the stink from this one.
Jey Uso Stuns John Cena to Win WWE Men's Royal Rumble for WrestleMania Title Match
Jey Uso won the 2025 men's Royal Rumble match on Saturday night, earning a guaranteed world title opportunity at WrestleMania 41.
Uso, who was the No. 20 entrant in the match, last eliminated WWE legend John Cena to secure the victory, stunning wrestling fans—and Roman Reigns was also quick to react:
This year's men's Rumble match was arguably among the most highly anticipated in WWE history, as several of the top Superstars on the roster announced their entry into the 30-man extravaganza in the weeks leading up to the event.
The first official entrant was Cena, who announced previously that 2025 will be his final year as an in-ring performer.
The 47-year-old is tied with Ric Flair for the most world title reigns of all time with 16, and he expressed his intention to enter and win the Rumble in order to earn a crack at world title No. 17 at WrestleMania.
Making his first appearance in a Royal Rumble match since 2020 was Roman Reigns, who went four straight years without being in the contest due to his status as the reigning world champion.
The Tribal Chief dropped the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, but after taking care of business by beating Solo Sikoa to win back the ula fala and the title of Tribal Chief, Reigns shifted his focus back toward the world title.
Reigns' "Wiseman," Paul Heyman, recently warned Rhodes that Reigns intended to enter and win the Rumble to set up a rematch against him at WrestleMania 41.
CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre were a few of the other big-name Superstars who threw their hats into the Rumble ring as well.
In his first official match since returning to WWE, Punk finished as the runner-up to Rhodes in last year's match, and he entered the 2025 Rumble motivated to win in order to secure a top spot on the WrestleMania 41 card after missing out last year due to injury.
Rollins and McIntyre each won the Royal Rumble match one time previously, and they too had plenty of incentive to become two-time winners in order to get back into the world title picture.
Ultimately, though, it was Uso who shocked the world and was the last man standing on Saturday. Now, he's secured a world title match at WrestleMania 41.
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Video: Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Picks John Cena to Win 2025 WWE Royal Rumble
Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton has predicted that John Cena will be winning Saturday's Royal Rumble.
Haliburton made his prediction during the Royal Rumble Kickoff show on Friday while flanked by Michael Cole and Pat McAfee.
The two-time All-Star also revealed that he'll be in attendance for the event, which will take place at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Colts.
Haliburton is a bit busy earlier in the evening, though, as his Pacers host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. He'll be a bit late with the festivities kicking off at 6 p.m.
Haliburton is a huge pro wrestling fan, and he's made appearances on WWE television in recent years, including a showdown with New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson in June 2024.
He then appeared on NXT last September to help facilitate a NXT Title Match contract between then champion Ethan Page and Trick Williams.
We'll see if Haliburton will be anything more than an observer Saturday soon enough when the Royal Rumble kicks off in Indianapolis. At the very least, we know he'll be rooting for Cena as the legend's retirement tour continues. If Cena wins, he'll join Stone Cold Steve Austin as the only WWE Superstars to win the Royal Rumble three separate times.
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