John Cena made a thunderous return on this week’s episode of WWE Raw, but not in the way fans might expect. Stepping into the ring for his first promo since turning heel at Elimination Chamber, Cena was met with a wave of loud boos from the crowd—a clear signal that his new direction is resonating, and stirring controversy, as he begins his road to WrestleMania 41 and a blockbuster title match against Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
The segment, which marked a pivotal moment in building toward WrestleMania, ended up going far beyond its intended runtime. Originally slated for just 15 minutes, the promo stretched to 32 minutes, causing a domino effect that impacted the rest of the night’s show.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on SportsKeeda’s Backstage Pass Patreon:
“After speaking to sources regarding this past Monday’s Raw, we are told the beginning of the show went longer than initially planned… due to the overrun in segment number one, much of the content then featured on WWE social accounts such as The Maxine Dupree–Natalya Alpha Academy segment, along with the Bayley–Lyra Valkyria spot, were indeed planned for the live broadcast.”
Additionally, the anticipated match between Jey Uso and Austin Theory was affected. It was supposed to receive around eight minutes of in-ring time following Jey’s entrance post-commercial break—but the match was significantly shortened due to the overrun.
Interestingly, despite ongoing speculation, The Rock was not mentioned during the Cena–Rhodes segment, further fueling curiosity about how WWE will continue to weave its top stars into the evolving WrestleMania 41 narrative.
