Last week, John Cena revealed that his plan to turn heel at Elimination Chamber last year was: The brain child of WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque, but according to Dave Meltzer Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had the original idea.
Cena said he agreed to turn almost immediately when Triple H pitched him the idea, but Meltzer claims Johnson suggested Never Seen 17 turn to the dark side after WWE turned down the same creative direction for Cody Rhodes. Heading into the 2025 Elimination Chamber, The Rock was involved in an on-screen storyline with Rhodes where he tried to get him to “sell his soul”. However, when Rhodes turned down an offer to partner with Johnson in the Elimination Chamber, Cena surprisingly showed up as The Rock’s ally and turned heel. Meltzer notes that many higher-ups in WWE were opposed to the idea of Rhodes becoming a villain, especially since he was the world champion at the time, which is why Johnson suggested Cena as a second option.
Cena also offered his thoughts on his run last week, stating that the idea worked from a business standpoint but failed to impress from a creative standpoint, a sentiment that Meltzer also agreed with, stating that the entire storyline lacked logic. Meltzer went on to outline his view of Cena as a heel, claiming that WWE failed to capitalize on their biggest angle of the year, especially since they didn’t seem to have a long-term plan for it. The reporter also criticized Johnson for removing him from the storyline, which meant that Elimination Chamber was the last time The Rock and the 17-time world champion would interact on screen.
Many believed that The Rock would appear in the main event of WrestleMania 41 when Cena defeated Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Title, but “The Final Boss” claimed he didn’t want to get involved in the plot After the Elimination Chamber.