More than a year removed John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes main event at WWE WrestleMania 41many now agree that the meeting did not live up to expectations. It’s a sentiment Cena agrees with. in an interview with CrownlessCena discussed how he advises young talent to take risks even if they don’t work out. Then he gave an example of the meeting with Rhodes.
“I think that’s a great template when I talk to young talent, and I try to do that all the time, remind them to shake it big and not be afraid to fail,” Cena said. “Many of them think that I am talking from a glass house like this. “Yes, of course, it must be easy for you because you never fail.”
“And then I’ll look back, especially last year, because the retirement tour really had a lot of eyes on it, and I’ll say I did a big turn at WrestleMania and we loosened up the joint. We failed. But what did I do? I got back up, we dusted ourselves off, righted the boat, and we crested with a fantast. Ending the story, as Cody said, at SummerSlam“.
A little later, the Cena-Rhodes preliminary meeting took place Cena turned on Rhodes at Elimination Chamberan angle that initially gained praise in the wrestling world, although the follow-up was heavily criticized by fans and pundits alike. By the time Cena and Rhodes met again at SummerSlam, the heel turn had stopped and Cena returned as a babyface for the remainder of his retirement to a more positive reception.