Cody Rhodes is headed for war against John Cena and The Rock on the Road to WrestleMania 41 after the unthinkable happened at Elimination Chamber. Cena ‘sold out’, handing his soul to The Final Boss and brutally attacking the Undisputed WWE Champion in one of the biggest shocks in professional wrestling history.
The image of Cena, Rock and rapper Travis Scott posing over Rhodes’ lifeless body will have its place in WWE history and means the American Nightmare needs help. He was handed similar trials and tribulations last year when setting his sights on ‘finishing his story’ and winning the title from Roman Reigns.
Cody Rhodes achieved his destiny, dethroning Reigns, but not without the help of others, such as Cena and Seth Rollins, to keep Rock and The Bloodline at bay. Those two certainly won’t be lending a helping hand to the champion on this occasion, but he has a few familiar faces to call upon should his title defense against Cena go off the rails.
CM Punk
The Best in the World was seething after Elimination Chamber
CM Punk and John Cena embraced one another with a hug during the Elimination Chamber match, and the longtime foes went toe-to-toe in a throwback to their iconic feud. They were the final two participants until Seth Rollins hit Punk with a curb stomp, and a desperate Cena pulled the Second City Saint back into the ring and locked in the STF to punch his ticket to WrestleMania.
The Best in the World was enraged on the RAW after Elimination Chamber, calling out Cena for ‘selling out’ while accusing a ‘bald fraud’ Rock of pretending to care for the business. He warned the pair that he’d see them down the road and will undoubtedly want revenge on the duo for stealing his Mania main event.
“I’m gonna get my hands on both of you, Bald Frauds!, and when I do, you’re gonna make a wish that I never did” – CM Punk on RAW.
CM Punk’s focus is on Rollins, and the expectation is that he’ll be involved in a triple-threat match with the Visionary and Roman Reigns at the Show of Shows. But he may still be inclined to help Rhodes out in his main event on night two, as we saw last year when Rollins became the American Nightmare’s ‘shield’ despite losing the World Heavyweight Championship earlier in the night.
Randy Orton
The Viper has a storied history with John Cena
Many expected Randy Orton to be the one to pull off a massive heel turn and challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania. The story wrote itself with the Viper potentially becoming jealous of his former protege, becoming the top dog in the company.
Orton, instead, remains one of the biggest babyfaces and a certainty to have Rhodes’ back if needed, given their past. Much like CM Punk, he has also waged war with Cena throughout his career and could be keen to ensure his friend isn’t bested as he was for most of their rivalry.
Kevin Owens is the Apex Predator’s target on the Road to WrestleMania 41, but many of his problems with the Prizefighter stem from him defending Rhodes as the trio’s friendship imploded. The Legend Killer may want to take KO out before setting his sights on Cena or Rock as his next prey, and he was a glaring absentee from last year’s main event madness.
Roman Reigns
The Tribal Chief owes Cody Rhodes a favour
Roman Reigns’ current situation is indicative of how quickly things can change in the WWE. This time last year, he was defending the world title against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 while doing so in cohort with The Rock.
The Tribal Chief’s babyface turn to reclaim The Bloodline from Solo Sikoa has been somewhat of a let-down given how entertaining his title reign was before losing to Rhodes. The pair set aside their differences at Bad Blood to defeat Sikoa and Jacob Fatu, but the first tease of Rock looking to take the champion’s ‘soul’ came after that match with a cutthroat gesture that he produced before John Cena’s heel turn.
Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes were together in the ring on that occasion. It makes sense for them to team up again to take down Rock and Cena if WWE wants to go down another tag team route. It would also make for gripping viewing to see a hesitant Reigns decide to back Rhodes and, in the process, potentially set up a Mania match with his cousin for the following year’s PLE.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
The Texas Rattlesnake was expected at WrestleMania 40
The Rock’s ambush on Cody Rhodes on RAW ahead of last year’s WrestleMania that left him bloodied was iconic for several reasons. The extreme nature of the attack suggested WWE had bid farewell to their PG production, but also teased John Cena and Stone Cold Steve Austin’s involvement in the Rhodes-Bloodline war.
John Cena appeared at WrestleMania 40, interfering to take out Solo Sikoa with an Attitude Adjustment which helped Rhodes on his road to victory. But Stone Cold was nowhere to be seen, with The Undertaker instead hitting Rock with a Chokeslam to prevent him from costing the American Nightmare. It was reported that the promotion couldn’t come to a financial agreement with the Texas Rattlesnake.
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Stone Cold Steve Austin Teases WWE Return for WrestleMania 41
Following Cody Rhodes’ beatdown at the Elimination Chamber, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin has teased returning to help The American Nightmare.
Stone Cold is The Rock’s biggest rival and the pair’s incredible history of main eventing three WrestleMania’s makes Austin a possibility to come to Rhodes’ rescue. The sound of the glass shattering would perhaps make for one of the biggest pops in WWE history, but Triple H will undoubtedly be eager to keep the plan quiet, much like Cena’s heel turn.
The Undertaker
The Deadman knows all about digging holes and taking souls
The Undertaker has already shown that he’s willing to help Cody Rhodes if needed and the Phenom continues to make sporadic WWE appearances. His chokeslam on The Rock at WrestleMania 40 was never truly touched upon on TV from a storyline perspective and the idea of the American Nightmare refusing to sell his soul may be why Taker is insistent on protecting the champion.
We have seen a different Taker on WWE programming since his full-time in-ring retirement in November 2020, losing the hat and jacket and instead going down the biker route. This character transformation would allow him to be included in the build to Rhodes and Cena’s main event if called upon, perhaps giving the champion advice and getting involved in promo segments with The Rock.
It’s a long shot, but maybe Rock hasn’t just called on one legend to wrestle the title away from Rhodes, but maybe two. He could be so desperate to stop Rhodes-Mania from continuing to run wild that he pulls a fast one on the champion and Taker betrays him in the main event, tying in Rocky’s countdown gestures used at Bad Blood and Elimination Chamber.
All data courtesy of Cagematch – correct as of 04/03/2025.
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