The road to WrestleMania 41 grew even more personal and vicious as John Cena and Cody Rhodes opened this week’s WWE Raw with a fiery in-ring segment that left fans stunned—and Cena laid out.
Cena, who turned heel at Elimination Chamber 2025 and aligned with The Rock, wasted no time verbally dissecting “The American Nightmare.” Dismissing Rhodes’ rise, Cena declared:
“Just because you think you run the kingdom, doesn’t mean you do. You stole every secret I had—and you’re still not relatable. Too rehearsed. Too many lazy gimmicks.”
Cena delivered the line that will likely live in infamy:
“I’m not gonna cook you, I’m gonna bury you—just like I buried everyone else. I don’t bury talent. I am talent. I bury mediocrity.”
He accused Rhodes of manipulating the fans, calling him a “nepo baby” and mocking his iconic tattoo, saying it exposes him as a “common fan.” Cena even called Rhodes an errand boy that got lucky, claiming:
“The last real champion is taking that belt forever—and you’ll be left as what you are.”
Rhodes, not backing down, fired back with unfiltered aggression, hitting Cena where it hurt most—his legacy.
“You’re a corporate creation, John. You’ve got more dk on the mic than in the shorts. And don’t act like you left WWE better than you found it.”**
Taking aim at Cena’s relationship with Vince McMahon, Rhodes delivered a stinging line:
“Can you say the same, or was it one guy in the office who chose you—who’s not here anymore and we don’t talk about?”
Rhodes went even further, accusing Cena of selling out to The Rock, before declaring:
“You were my hero—but you’re a piece of st.”**
Cena, visibly enraged, claimed superiority through work ethic and longevity:
“I’ve worked harder than you. I’ve never been protected from the fans. I’ve taken everyone’s shot—and none were worthy. So I decided to take the shot myself. I’ve never left. You’re not good enough to whip my ass.”
In one of the segment’s most shocking lines, Cena delivered a jab clearly aimed at AEW President Tony Khan:
“I make empires for billionaires. All you’ve ever done is steal money from their kids.”
The final straw came when Rhodes pointed out:
“The fans have never chanted ‘You can’t wrestle’ at me.”
Cena snapped—lunging at Rhodes with a strike—but Rhodes ducked and hit Cross Rhodes, leaving Cena sprawled in the ring as the crowd erupted.
With WrestleMania just around the corner, the stakes are now deeply personal, and the feud between Rhodes and Cena may be one of the most emotionally charged rivalries in recent WWE memory.
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