The next major piece of the puzzle was put in place ahead of Wrestlemania and one of the most memorable moments in the history of the business took place in the process. Usually, when something that becomes etched in the minds of fans happens, it will naturally take a while for the segment to gain its true perspective in hindsight, but given the evolution of the industry and thus the previous examples that can be cited for their eventually ripple effect, there are rare occasions when you know you’re watching something historic in real time.
The conclusion of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view was one of those moments and it undoubtedly starts a level of anticipation for the biggest event of the year.
The show, which drew nearly 40,000 fans in Toronto, opened with the women’s chamber match, and while these type of gimmick contests tend to be a little disjointed by nature, this segment was well done with solid action throughout it. Jade Cargill made her surprise return, attacking Naomi and taking her out of the match before it could get started, implying that Naomi was the one behind the backstage assault that wrote Jade out of the show for a few months. Considering that Bianca Belair went on to win the match, which would slot her against Rhea Ripley for Wrestlemania, I’d guess that they will be some type of revelation that Bianca was actually the one behind the attack on Cargill. I could be wrong, but I just can’t see management slating a baby face vs. baby face match for a championship at this year’s Wrestlemania. Assuming there is a Belair heel turn in the works, if she beats Ripley for the belt, there’s a built in storyline for Jade to chase the title as a way to get revenge for the attack that put her on the sidelines.
The Trish Stratus and Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae match was fine for what it was, but there’s not much to say about it. It was a basic 10-minute tag match that gave the hometown baby face a victory so it was mission accomplished.
Prior to the pay-per-view, I wondered why the office wanted to pick up another chapter of Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens, not because of a lack of quality, their matches have always been solid, but rather that it was a retread of something that the audience has already seen several times before. However, it became clear during the course of the segment that this match wasn’t being used as a way to spring board a new chapter, but rather as a payoff of sorts to their history as rivals to set up for the bigger stage of Wrestlemania with something fresh. Bringing the lights down was a unique presentation to emphasize the unsanctioned gimmick, and between the table bumps and the barbed wire spots, these two delivered a contest that justified a payoff bout. These two are simply high quality performers that make the most of the opportunity that they’ve given, and this segment was an example of it. The action, the selling, and the psychology were great stuff that allowed for a very entertaining contest.
After Owens got the victory, Randy Orton, who KO put on the shelf with the pile driver several months ago, returned to make the save for Zayn. By all indications, this will be the plan for Owens’ match at Wrestlemania, which makes sense since the office always has a prime spot for Orton on the card.
The men’s Elimination Chamber was set to be the main event, with the implication that The Rock/Cody Rhodes confrontation would be afterwards since it hadn’t taken place yet. This match, regardless of the gimmick, was exactly why the WWE is so good at their specific playbook, as this segment had all the ingredients of a stellar match without any of the high spots or risky bumps that often cater to the diehard demographic. It built very well and the structure of the match used the star power involved very effectively. The peaks and valleys of the action allowed for the drama to really crescendo prior to the finish of the match. Keep in mind, the performers didn’t have to use high spots to get a reaction, they used their star power, the booking of the match, and ring psychology to maximize the effectiveness of the conclusion of the match.
Truth be told, if you polled the audience, in the building or those watching on Peacock, they probably would’ve said that either Cena or Punk would be the odds on favorite to get the spot at Wrestlemania, Cena because of the retirement tour, and Punk because of his stated goal of working the main event of the show so the ending sequence used that to add an extra layer of drama.
As we know, after Cena won the match to secure the spot to challenge Cody for the WWE championship, Rhodes made his way down to the ring to congratulate him on the win. Of course, The Rock was next to enter the arena, and the promised confrontation between him and Cody took place.
I don’t think anyone prior to the pay-per-view would’ve ever guessed that John Cena was going to turn heel at any point before he retired, for all the reasons that he didn’t turn heel at the peak of his career. The only thing that tipped me off to it in a small way was that I noticed that Cena was still in the ring after Cody refused The Rock’s offer, which was only a red flag because there are patterns within the history of wrestling for these types of segments. The brief suspicion that something was up wasn’t enough of a warning, though as the heel turn, particularly with the blank face that Cena made during the hug with Cody, was still a very shocking moment.
This segment underscores why the WWE is so solid when it comes to sports entertainment because the camera work was absolutely perfect. They got the shot of Cena with the villainous look, which lets the audience know that he and The Rock had it planned the entire time and then the camera got the “cut” sign from The Rock before the camera switched back to Cena’s response before the low blow.
It’s often said that professional wrestling is about the moments, and there’s no doubt that the John Cena heel turn will be one of the most memorable moments in the history of the industry.
Some might wonder why the office waited until his final run to turn Cena heel, but all things considered, this is really the only time that it would’ve truly made sense, both from a storyline and business prospective. When he was the ultimate baby face, one of the admirable traits of that character is that despite the hostility and the hurdles, the true baby face never gives up or compromises their values. With this being his last run, the office doesn’t have to take into account how a heel turn will effect his persona in the future or his very lucrative merchandise sales. The argument could be made that if Cena would’ve turned heel in the middle of his career that he wouldn’t have quite been able to recapture the same level of popularity he had as a baby face after he would become a “good guy” again so management waited until his retirement run to present him as a villain.
Furthermore, and this is potentially the biggest piece of the entire puzzle, if Cody Rhodes, or anyone else for that matter, is truly going to ascend to the “John Cena spot” as far as being the top baby face that works as the total representative of the company, the bottom line is, Cena can’t be in that spot. This wasn’t just Cena turning heel, this was John Cena vacating that position as the top baby face of the era to allow Cody to make the transition into that position. There can’t be comparisons to John Cena if Cena is on the opposing side. The way that it was done and the drama of the moment maximized the entire scenario. In the grand scheme of things, this sets up to eventually solidify Cody even more in that previous “John Cena spot” in the future, especially if Cena wins the belt at Wrestlemania.
It’s well known that John Cena is going to retire at the end of the year so Rhodes could spend the second half of 2025 trying to recapture the title “for the fans” before Cena leaves with the championship. The bottom line is, the conclusion of this storyline could be a way for John Cena to truly pass the torch to Cody Rhodes as the top star in the company.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
