For only the second time in his 23-year career, John Cena joined the dark side at Elimination Chamber on March 1, 2025.
Cena, who will retire from in-ring competition at the end of 2025, has embarked on a quest to win a record-breaking 17th world championship.
After finishing in second place in the Royal Rumble on Feb. 1, Cena announced in a press conference after the event that he would participate in the Elimination Chamber match that would determine a challenger for a world championship at WrestleMania 41.
“What is best for business is I main event WrestleMania,” Cena said during the post-Royal Rumble press conference. “And what is best for business is, for the first time, I confidently say that I’m going to win a 17th championship.”
Usually, wrestlers would qualify for the Elimination Chamber match through qualifying matches. Cena, however, did not participate in qualifying matches as he was in Budapest filming the action-comedy “Matchbox,” leaving five other wrestlers to earn their way into the match.
As a result of Royal Rumble winner Jey Uso choosing to challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 41, the Elimination Chamber match would determine who challenged Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the event.
Cena went on to win the Elimination Chamber, punching his ticket to a world title match at WrestleMania. After the match, Rhodes appeared to congratulate him and set the stage for their match. But that was not the only reason Rhodes was here.
The time came for Rhodes to accept or decline The Rock’s offer: to make Rhodes a star at the expense of his integrity, morals and soul. Rhodes emphatically declined, saying he gave his soul to the ring and the fans long ago.
Cena then embraced Rhodes, seemingly as a sign of respect. During the embrace, The Rock made a gesture to Cena, who then hit Rhodes with a low blow. Cena, The Rock and special guest Travis Scott attacked Rhodes before leaving the arena together.
The smartest WWE fans should have seen Cena selling his soul to The Rock from a mile away. There were three key factors that should have been obvious to the most dedicated fans.
Cena has been wrestling on a part-time basis for nearly a decade as his career in Hollywood has catapulted him to one of the most recognizable faces on planet Earth. Due to his insanely busy schedule, he was simply inserted into the Elimination Chamber match without having to win a qualifying match. Before Cena went off to Hollywood, he knew he would have to earn his way into high-profile, high stakes matches. Cena simply being inserted into the match is a slap in the face to the other five competitors who had to qualify for the match.
Cena, despite being a goody-two-shoes babyface for the majority of his career, has had a polarizing reputation with the fans. Case in point: ECW One Night Stand in 2006, where Cena defended the WWE Championship against the villainous yet popular Rob Van Dam (RVD). Hammerstein Ballroom booed Cena out of the building and cheered when Cena’s then-rival, Edge, cost him the match. This is only one of many examples of the fans growing weary of Super Cena.
The tide appeared to have shifted in recent years as Cena became a part-time wrestler. The fans were simply happy to have Cena around because they knew an aging Cena was in the twilight of his career. Cena felt as if the same fans who booed him years ago that flipped and cheered for him now did not deserve his respect.
“I tried, one last time, to get along with you guys. I tried one last time to do something nice for you, and you ruined it! Just like you ruin everything!” Cena said to a hostile Brussels crowd on the March 17 episode of Raw. “Because just like right here tonight, for two seconds it was great, and then it’s never enough!”
And perhaps this is the most important thing to consider: Cena’s win-loss record. Cena has not won a singles match since 2018. Perhaps Cena feels as if he needs some allies if he wants any chance of winning a 17th world title in his final WrestleMania as an in-ring competitor. Cena now has The Rock, arguably the most powerful man in wrestling as a member of the TKO Board of Directors, by his side.
Rhodes now has a tall task ahead of him to beat a villainous John Cena hellbent on making history before he retires to preserve his nearly year-long world title reign.
WrestleMania 41 will take place on April 19 and 20 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Fans can stream the event on Peacock.
