John Cena shocked the entire wrestling world at Elimination Chamber by aligning with The Rock and turning heel on WWE Champion Cody Rhodes ahead of their WrestleMania 41 main event. In an era where shock factor is so hard to come by in the WWE, Cena's turn to the dark side was done masterfully.
Adding to the shock factor was how quickly the turn was put together on TV. The Rock's sudden appearance on SmackDown, where he asked for Cody Rhodes' soul, came less than 10 days before Eliminaton Chamber. Before that, many WWE fans were convinced The Rock wouldn't even be involved in WrestleMania.
Cena winning the Chamber and turning heel on such a short turnaround was viewed as impossible, especially with how beloved he is at this point in his career. Whether intentional or not, it helped land the plane to create one of the most shocking moments in pro wrestling history.
The latest rumors from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter suggest that Cena turning heel on Rhodes was always the plan, but that is was expedited to a short turnaround at Elimination Chamber. The original plan, according to the rumors, was for Cena to turn heel at WrestleMania. If true, that reveals a lot about what may happen in the main event.
The plan was for John Cena’s heel turn alongside The Rock to be saved for the WrestleMania main event.
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) March 7, 2025
However, the decision was made on the day of Elimination Chamber to do it there instead.
- WON pic.twitter.com/LhtWRHc7V1
WWE rumors all but confirm John Cena will beat Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania
If these rumors are true, and the plan really was for Cena to turn heel at WrestleMania, then it is safe to say that the original plan was for Cena to win Championship No. 17 at the show of shows.
WWE knew that any Cena heel turn would come with a massive shock factor and the only thing that would have been more shocking than the turn at Elimination Chamber would have been a heel turn while the entire crowd was celebrating Cena winning his 17th championship.
Like Stone Cold Steve Austin aligning with Mr. McMahon, Cena turning heel after the triumphant win would have been as shocking as shocking gets.
It would not have carried the same punch if Cena lost. Sure, Cena could have turned on Rhodes due to his frustrations with yet again missing out on winning his 17th championship. But what would have been the next step? Cena to win the record-setting championship at Backlash as a heel in a rematch he lost cleanly?
Cena turning on Rhodes at WrestleMania only makes sense if he wins. So if WWE was planning for Cena to turn at Mania, it is safe to say they were also planning on him beating Rhodes in the main event.
Of course, the plans could have changed and still could change with the heel turn happening sooner. Cena doesn't have to win now that the heel turn has already happened, whereas he had to win for it to make sense with the heel turn happening at WrestleMania.
But one thing is for certain: Cena's odds of winning his 17th championship, as a heel nonetheless, are higher than fans may realize.