The Franchise-Kid turned Corporate Sell-Out: John Cena Has Joined the Dark Side
Cena winning his first WWE Championship, Cena turning heel
After 20+ years of Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect, the leader of the Cenation has turned away from all his morals and joined the "dark side." In my last article, I was extremely skeptical of Paul "Triple H" Levesque's plan for WrestleMania 41. With the Royal Rumble setting up a Jey Uso vs. Gunther rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship, the card was doomed with a lack of stardom and storytelling included in the scheduled championship matches. However, I was wrong. The moment fans had been waiting for years finally happened.
In the Royal Rumble's post-event press conference, John Cena declared he'd enter the Elimination Chamber for a chance at a title match at WrestleMania. Calling it "best for business" if he were to chase his record-breaking 17th championship win. This all came after Jey Uso eliminated him to win the Royal Rumble, and Cena's "retirement tour" seemingly had a rocky road ahead. It was unlike Cena to declare himself into the chamber match. Taking shortcuts and not "earning" your spot was not a characteristic of John Cena. He stood for "Hustle," and this was the opposite of hustling. This would only foreshadow future events.
Cena would make no WWE appearances between the Royal Rumble and the Elimination Chamber to film a movie in Budapest, Hungary. Upon entering the chamber, the other competitors took digs at Cena throughout the weeks because of his shortcut route to the chamber. The match would be filled with incredible moments, including an emotional face-off between Cena and CM Punk. Seeing this rivalry reignited in 2025 was wonderful to see. However, a moment would occur that wasn't something we'd seen Cena do much of in the past. After Punk eliminated Rollins, leaving Cena and Punk as the remaining two. Rollins would take a cheap shot and curb-stomp Punk, leaving him weak. Cena would then capitalize and put Punk into an STF until he was rendered unconscious. John Cena was headed back to WrestleMania! Cena said, "I'm sorry," as he put Punk into submission, but the desperation on Cena's face to get a chance at the 17th World Championship wasn't something we usually saw. This was another shortcut Cena took to win this match, first putting himself in it and now capitalizing on a weakened opponent. Something seemed off, but nobody cared because our favorite wrestler would return to the WrestleMania main event for the first time since 2013.
In his post-match celebration, his WrestleMania opponent, the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes, would come out to congratulate Cena. However, it was time for Rhodes to decide whether to sell his soul to The Rock or keep his word and fight for the people. The Rock came out with superstar artist Travis Scott, and the ring filled with some of the biggest names in pop culture today. The Rock would cut to the chase and ask Cody his answer. Cody would tell the Rock to "go **** himself," the crowd erupted, and Cena was thrilled to see Rhodes would maintain the high road. The Rock seemed offended by Cody's words as Travis Scott burned sage in the corner. John Cena would embrace Rhodes in a hug, seemingly proud of his decision. Until he made eye contact with The Rock and was signaled by Rock to "kill Cody." Cena's face would immediately get serious, and he kicked Cody in the groin. The stadium erupted and was shocked, Cena had turned heel. Cena didn't stop there. He would continue to assault Cody to a bloody pulp. The Rock and Travis Scott assisted the beatdown, and The Rock whipped Cody with a new weight belt with "Cody's Soul" printed on it with his father's death date. Cena would stand tall with the WWE Championship in hand over Cody's lifeless body. Reminiscent of Hulk Hogan's turn in 1996, the show went off the air with the biggest star in wrestling turning bad, this time standing tall with The Rock and Travis Scott hand in hand.
When Triple H said that the Elimination Chamber would be "industry-changing," I didn't expect anything of this magnitude. The internet was set ablaze, with everybody asking what was next. Cena's next appearance is scheduled for the Monday Night Raw Europe tour starting March 17th. The question is: what will his music and gear look like? How far will this "Hollywood" alliance with The Rock and Travis Scott go? Many theorize that Stone Cold will be in Cody's corner come WrestleMania time, but I'd go deeper than that. At last year's Mania, Cody and Rollins team up against Rock and Roman. I wouldn't be surprised if Roman comes to Cody's aid against his cousin, the Rock. They already teamed up at Bad Blood, and I fully expect Roman to be involved in this one way or another.
This rivalry between the former face of the WWE and now-turned villain, John Cena, and the new face of WWE, the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes, will be tremendous for WrestleMania. And this leaves us all with one question: Will Cena win his 17th championship in heel fashion? Only time will tell.
