There are very few moments when the unexpected happens in wrestling; when you see it, the moment stays with you for a lifetime.
Whether it was Andre the Giant turning on Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels turning heel by kicking his tag team partner Marty Jannetty through a Barbershop glass window, or Hogan forming the NWO (New World Order), those moments stay with you for a lifetime. Last night at Elimination Chamber, John Cena, turning heel for his last year in the business, flipped the wrestling industry upside down.
The Signs Were Hiding In Plain Sight
The moment Cena announced his retirement at Money in the Bank in July 2024, that is when the story began for him. He knew right then and there what he wanted to do before he left his boots in the middle of the ring and called it a career. If you recall, Money in the Bank was in Toronto, where the Elimination Chamber was held last night. The Rock said at the post-PLE presser that Toronto is considered a heel town, so Cena planted the seed early without making it obvious.
Once he did that, Cena was smart enough to use what matters today, social media, to not only check the temperature of the fans but also for himself on whether he could really go through with it. On the Chris Van Vliet podcast that he appeared on after the July announcement, Cena dropped a few gems here and there, like the story about the time WWE wanted the heel turn and everything from the merchandise to his new walkout music was done, and at the final hour, the WWE pulled the plug and didn’t do it. After that story made its rounds through social media, fans worldwide started to create their own story about what a Cena heel run would look like.
But a savvy Cena did what any legend would do and that’s create a diversion so that people would get off that train of thought and go back to the retirement tour narrative that he was now pushing. No time was better than the inaugural RAW on Netflix in January, where he cut a promo as Cena, the good guy who will give it his all for one last run to please the fans who have supported him all these years. But as The Rock pointed out at yesterday’s presser about his own character, The Final Boss, Cena quietly played both babyface and heel.
The heel part crept in when he cut a serious promo at the post-Royal Rumble press conference after being unable to win it and punch his ticket to WrestleMania. He spoke of a man who paid his dues and said that the main event at WrestleMania was owed to him because of where he had taken the company throughout the years. That should have been the hint for everyone, but instead, the fans ignored the thoughts of a heel turn and just took it as Cena being a motivated wrestler on his last tour.
Then, after winning the Elimination Chamber match, Cena had the babyface smile from ear to ear and gave everyone the moment they wanted, which was to see him go to WrestleMania and attempt to win the record-breaking 17th world title. But then, all hell broke loose.
John Cena Sells His Soul
All week, fans worldwide were scrambling their brains, trying to figure out what Cody Rhodes would do as he was being wined and dined by The Rock while other wrestlers attempted to help influence Rhodes’ decision. Again, it was a diversion to have fans keep their focus on that, but all along, The Rock “was cookin” elsewhere. No one knew, and it began to give Bash at the Beach 1996 vibes when no one knew who the third man was for Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, which was later revealed to be Hogan.
After the Men’s Elimination Chamber and Cena pointed at the WrestleMania sign, Rhodes’ music quickly hit. The crowd got quiet because they weren’t sure what was going on. Rhodes makes it to the ring, and he starts speaking to Cena. Then, The Rock’s music hits, and he came out with Travis Scott. Cena stayed in the ring, and fans wondered if Rhodes would take the offer and take it out on Cena, making Rhodes the heel.
The Rock wasted no time and asked once again for Rhodes’ soul, which the undisputed champion said he gave his soul a long time ago to the fans while ending his statement by saying, “Hey Rock, go f*ck yourself.” That right there sent the 38,000 plus in attendance to a frenzy as Rhodes came out of his shell to give a very unexpected response in the manner that The Rock would have given it if he was in his predicament. The Rock kept a stone face, and Rhodes turned to Cena, who was elated. He gave him a big hug for standing up to his boss.
😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳#WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/uurvIFN5AQ
— WWE (@WWE) March 2, 2025
That’s when Cena changed his smile to a stone-cold face, and The Rock gave the “slit throat” sign. Cena stepped back and kicked Rhodes in the groin. The fans were in shock. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. At that moment, the internet broke, and social media went wild, making Elimination Chamber the number one trending topic worldwide. Cena beat Rhodes down almost like The Rock did in that iconic scene by Rhodes’ tour bus last year. The way it all unfolded was perfectly done, and once again, that momentum going into WrestleMania is as high as it was for last year’s event.
SPEECHLESS. 💔
JOHN CENA just viciously TURNED on CODY RHODES at #WWEChamber! pic.twitter.com/jSyaCud7Wz
— WWE (@WWE) March 2, 2025
How Does This All Play Out?
The most anticipated event will be the next time Cena has a microphone in his hand. How will he be dressed? Will he have a pinstripe suit on like vintage Vince McMahon? Will he cut his hair, and will his walkout music change? All of these questions will be answered, and if I had to guess, he will do it at Smackdown on Friday night as it will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the crowd is usually loud and on edge.
The WrestleMania main event for either night had to be heel vs. babyface, so this all makes sense. Cena could win the title and have a short heel champion run before having his final match in December. That would make for some great TV, especially with SummerSlam, which is the next big PLE after WrestleMania, is a two-night event this year. You have to have multiple big storylines going, and this Cena heel run will help you get that over.
Whichever way this goes, this Cena storyline with The Rock is the best thing in wrestling already, and they haven’t even scratched the surface. Buckle up; this is going to be a wild ride all the way to the end.
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