- Cena shocked WWE fans when he attacked Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber
- He will now go forward aligned with The Rock before facing Rhodes in April
- The star, however, was reportedly not The Rock’s first choice to be an ally
John Cena wasn’t The Rock’s first choice to turn heel ahead of WrestleMania, according to a report.
Cena, one of the most iconic stars of all time, shocked the WWE fanbase when he aligned with The Rock at Saturday’s Elimination Chamber, attacking Cody Rhodes and becoming a ‘bad’ character for the first time in his lengthy career.
He will face Rhodes for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania in April, but many expected the feud to be well mannered – now, though, Cena will play the role of the villain in the build-up.
In turning heel, he joined forces with The Rock, one of his biggest rivals, with The Great One previously asking Rhodes to turn bad and be a corporate champion who was supported by The Rock.
The Hollywood star is on the board at WWE’s parent company, TKO, and uses that in his character to abuse his power and get one up on other stars in storyline.
Many have been left wondering where his alliance with Cena will now go, but reports have emerged that it wasn’t actually Cena who was the star’s first choice to turn – but Rhodes.
John Cena (right) was reportedly not The Rock’s (left) first choice to turn heel ahead of WrestleMania
Cena shocked WWE fans when he aligned with The Rock and attacked Cody Rhodes (left)
Rhodes is said to have been the The Rock’s first choice, but the offer was rejected all round
Rhodes and The Rock have a deep history, initially, in character, allies before Rhodes took the main event spot at WrestleMania and faced off against The Rock, who also turned heel at that time.
Many thought that rivalry was over when The Rock returned as a babyface – or good guy – on WWE’s Netflix launch, but it was resumed when Rhodes rejected Cena’s offer and was then attacked.
The Wrestling Observer have reported that The Rock was keen to align with Rhodes for the WrestleMania build when it was decided that he would not be wrestling.
The pitch, though, was rejected due to the popularity of Rhodes, who has been one of the biggest babyfaces in the industry since his return to WWE in 2022.
It was also reported that Rhodes refused the idea, with Cena, who was second choice, up for his own turn, with CM Punk never asked.
Cena is bidding to win his 17th world championship in WWE – a number which would take him to the most ever, ahead of Ric Flair, who also has 16.
He announced last year that 2025 would be his final year wrestling, and will hand up his boots for good at the end of this year.
Fans were left stunned that he turned heel for the first time so late in his career, with his direction for the final few months of it now unclear.