A new report sheds new light on if John Cena’s heel turn at Elimination Chamber 2025 was a last-minute pivot or part of the road to WrestleMania 41 all along.
Last summer, WWE icon dropped a bombshell on long-time fans. That 2025 would be the last time he ever competes in the ring. However, instead of just a retirement match this year, the 16-time champion would have a year-long tour to say goodbye to fans and his favorite cities.
It has led to a boatload of speculation on how he would be used in his final 50-plus dates as an active wrestler. Especially when it comes to the final WrestleMania of his illustrious career. The rumors for weeks were that he would win the Elimination Chamber and face Cody Rhodes in April. Well, they were right and he did win the men’s chamber match on Saturday.
However, it won’t be the match fans expected after Cena shocked the WWE universe by aligning with The Rock and turning heel this weekend. In the hours since fans have wondered if this was always the plan or a shift since recent rumors claimed The Rock’s return last week led to a switch in creative original plans. But a new report says that wasn’t the case.
John Cena heel turn at WrestleMania 41 was the plan for a long time
According to Fightful Select, John Cena deciding to go to the dark side after decades as one of the biggest babyfaces of all time was not a last minute change. It was something that had been planned for quite some time, and his promo after Royal Rumble now looks like an early sign this was where things were headed.
The outlet added that The Rock and Cody Rhodes segment was listed during the middle of the show on internal documents to swerve those inside the company and protect the big heel turn later in the show. They also noted, “much of Rock’s creative has been on a ‘need to know basis,’ and Cena’s involvement with WWE this year hasn’t required much creative briefing across the board.”
So it seems like Cena’s shocking moment and even “The Final Boss'” unexpected return two weeks ago was all a part of a big secretive WWE plan.
Related: VIDEO – Did New TNA World Champ Joe Hendry Just Callout WWE Legend John Cena?
