People begged for it. They practically pleaded for it. And for years, John Cena said this heel turn people wanted was a pipe dream at best. He even clowned the notion once during a promo where he actually turned his heel. Cena liked breaking the fourth wall every now and then. Then along came his retirement tour in 2025. John entered the Royal Rumble completely focused on main eventing WrestleMania. And anyone who saw his postgame press conference surely remembers that whole thing about him being in the Mania main event being best for business. The man even talked about himself in third person. That was a dead giveaway, at least in my eyes, that something nefarious lurked around the corner. Now, I wasn’t sure how it might sneak up on us, but it loomed large.
Then The Rock came out of nowhere with this Survivor Series 1998 remix and it clicked like high heel shoes on parquet floors.
For those too young to remember, many moons ago, the guy who ran WWE wanted his champion. He got tired of Steve Austin representing the company with his uncouth ways and wanted someone else. The territory made it look like he handpicked Mankind and set his sights against Stone Cold for obvious reasons, and, of course, The Rock. The boss hated the people, The Rock was the People’s Champion, so the transitive property was in effect. Long story short, the boss made it look like he was against The Rock when they were actually in cahoots the whole time. The Rock screwed the people and sold his soul for his first WWF championship, and officially became the Corporate Champion.
Fast forward 27 years later and it’s now Rock as the (final) bossman looking for his champion. And let’s be real: Cody was never saying yes. Even if the territory tried their hardest to make me question his loyalty, it never worked. And frankly, that story left me wanting. So what if Cody sold his soul to Rocky for…more of what he already has. Meh. Which brings us back to the man also known as Peacemaker. Johnny aligning with The Rock? After all their history in and out of the ring? Finally turning heel out of desperation? Thinking about “what’s best for business” and using that twisted heel logic as motivation? The thing practically writes itself.
Now, before I shower this moment with praises and weave in why it makes perfect sense, I want to throw a few quibbles at the wall.
First of all, while I loved the moment and the logic behind it, it took several Superman-level leaps of logic to get there. John’s heel turn relied on him winning the Elimination Chamber with no assurances. Unlike the ‘98 Survivor Series, there was no indication that Rocky had his thumb anywhere near a scale much less on it. So John had to defeat several top tier cats in their prime who wrestle more than him meaning they’re, theoretically, in better shape and have no ring rust.
B., it also needed this:
The match turned on Seth’s unrelenting hatred for CM Punk. If Seth keeps his eye on the prize, he probably eliminates John several minutes before the final moment. And ignoring that, the plan also presumed that Punk and John eliminate Seth so Seth could then stick around and screw Punk. That’s a lot of unaccountable variables on which anyone should rely. And I wouldn’t expect anyone who calls himself “Final Boss” to leave that much to change. And yet, here we are.
And lastly, the moment relied on Cody refusing the supposed offer he couldn’t refuse. Maybe Rock knew what I knew and believed he’d never say yes. Okay, I can go with that. But it’s still one convenience on top of too many others that make it seem like they didn’t have a plan as much as they fell ass backwards into one.
Even with all that said, the moment won me over because the emotional impact superseded any mental hurdles in my path. John Cena decided that his retirement tour is the perfect moment to become a bad guy. Not only that, but he’s riding shotgun with the guy he resented for so many years only to respect him when he found himself in a similar position. In fact, if there’s anyone who understands what John is going through in his career right now, it’s Rocky. Who would’ve predicted during those two once in a lifetime matches, or any of the promos leading to them, that they’d join forces? If anyone reading this did, then my friend, I hope you’re an avid lotto player.
— WWE (@WWE) March 2, 2025
For John, this is all about one more title reign and going out on top. Unlike the plotting that led to one of wrestling’s biggest moments, he can’t rely on happenstance; he needs assurances. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to make this fabled dream a reality, even if one of those things is turning on those kids Michael Cole tearfully mentioned while John, Rock, and a hilariously out of place Travis Scott beat Cody within an inch of his life. Of course he’s taking Rocky’s offer; it’s the one thing of which he’s obsessed. In that way, this is less like Rock’s ‘98 turn and more like Steve’s 2001 turn.
Stone Cold went into WrestleMania X-7 telling everyone that he needed to defeat The Rock. He sold his soul to the devil and the price was cheap. John, like the two big names from a generation before him, understood that necessity. And yes, there’s another heel turn one might compare this too as well. Personal feelings on Hulk Hogan aside, his heel turn was a stroke of genius and didn’t have the plot issues this one has. While I don’t think the execution matches, the impact is probably just as big. While I’m not ready yet to say it’s definitively as big as that fateful summer night in ‘96, the fact that I’m drawing a comparison says something.
Will we still talk about this 20 years from now, like Triple H said in his presser? I’m a lot of things, but fortune teller isn’t one of them. I do know that it’s the biggest WWE story in a long time that can go in so many directions. I know that it’s so big that it overshadowed an incredible Elimination Chamber match that saw Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins fall prey to their obsessions once again. I also know that for the next few weeks, possibly few months, it’s all most of the wrestling world will talk about. And it’s the biggest hook one can think of going into WrestleMania.
WWE’s Super Bowl takes place in Sin City weeks after its 20-year poster boy committed the biggest sin of his career. Nothing for the better part of two decades made that man want to turn his back on his fans and that whole “hustle, loyalty, respect” thing. But he finally found something greater than his ethics, his morals, and his creed. And he did so by siding with his one time mortal enemy who just so happens to run the company.
That’s a hell of a story and we’re just getting started.
B-Sides
Payback Is a Grandmother
Well, that’s certainly one way to start a match.
Naomi and Liv Morgan stood across from each other as the first two combatants in the women’s elimination chamber match. Then Jade Cargill’s music hit. While Liv protested loudly, it was Naomi who looked like she saw a ghost eating a sandwich. Then this happened:
Followed by this:
And it was incredible. Jade shines when she’s vicious and unrelenting. This was all of that and more. It was never really in question whether Naomi put Jade out of action. The only question was how would it play out. They picked the perfect moment that advanced the story, gave Jade a triumphant comeback, and affected the match in a few ways.
For one, Jade beat Naomi so bad that someone should’ve called her mama (shoutout to the Funkadactyls). They didn’t call her moms but they did eliminate her from the match since she was “unable to compete.” Yes, the beatdown was that glorious. It also left Bianca Belair devastated. She stood locked in that pod halfway to tears, screaming for answers. And Liv, ever the jerk, mocked and laughed at Bianca. It drove home that, yes, for once, Liv was telling the truth but she still couldn’t help herself. She despises Bianca so much that she lorded that newly won tag team championship belt over her when she entered the chamber. And with Naomi out of commission, guess who took her place?
Bianca.
All that story took place before the match even started. It was like the opening of Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead; the movie gives a full prologue before the opening credits even flash on screen. From there, Liv was all over Bianca because, duh. The EST was off her game. And who could blame her?! She just saw her two best friends blow up in front of her, all while realizing one of those best friends betrayed her. She was in no emotional state for this match, much less someone like Liv repeatedly poking a finger in that wound.
So color me surprised when Bailey went to the locker room first. That was part of the larger tale of Liv’s dominance. She eliminated Bailey and Alexa Bliss. Alexa, before Liv took her out, eliminated Roxanne Perez. But all the action revolved around Liv and Bianca. Which meant it would all end with those two.
At the start of every match, I ask myself about story perspective. It’s either the babyface’s view or the heel’s. I also ask myself if I need to use the restroom before every match considering the main part of this gig is, ya know, watching wrestling. But I digress. This looked like a story about Liv controlling the competition at every angle. Bianca, perhaps her biggest rival, got taken out emotionally early. She easily handled Bailey and got one over on Alexa. And the young upstart, Roxanne, felt herself a bit too much and caught a Codebreaker followed by a Twisted Bliss, then a walk to the back. That left Liv with Bianca, which looked like the easiest layup imaginable for one half of the women’s tag champs. Turns out, that wasn’t the story at all. It was actually one of overcoming the odds and persevering. Not in the typical John Cena way either.
Liv thought she had this thing in every bag imaginable. She went for an easy pin. She toyed with Bianca’s hair, slamming her into the cage over and over and over. It was one of the few moments where Bianca’s hair came back to bite her in a big way. None of that was enough to keep her down. Bianca eventually recovered with a spear out of nowhere, some back and forth, and finally a KOD.
NOW…there might be more twists in this story between Bianca, Jade, and Naomi. But for now, it’s all about Bianca vs. Rhea Ripley.
I’m not complaining one bit. Not about the match, not about the finish, and definitely not about this WrestleMania match. But I can’t help but obsess over that beginning. It set the tone for the rest of the match and made it feel unpredictable. I always love that in my professional sports entertainment wrestling. The match started the show beautifully with an excellent match built on big story that carried it throughout.
Rarities
- I understand why we got a Trish Stratus tag match on this show but it stuck out like an orange bill on a white hat. Trish can still go and I’m glad she got to put on for her city in front of her city. Let’s just leave it at that.
- Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens put on an emotional and compelling unsanctioned match. KO won, as he should, but he, like John, gave up a lot of his soul to get the win. Sami gave as good as he got but he just couldn’t overcome due to, ya know, his neck. KO almost put him out permanently until Randy Orton made his big return. Randy went after KO for a bit of revenge and lined him up for a punt. WWE officials stopped him from literally kicking KO’s lights out, but I suspect he’ll get another chance. I still want Sami at Mania but it looks like Randy vs. KO is on the menu.
Whew, what a show.
Grade: A
What say you, Cagesiders?
