WrestleMania 43: The Controversial Move to Saudi Arabia

In 2027, WrestleMania 43 will be held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and everyone has something to say about it. WWE made the official announcement on Friday at a special press event in Las Vegas. However, PWInsider broke the news earlier in the week when they got wind of a press release written in Arabic that was pulled shortly after the Saudi government accidentally released it.

Joe Tessitore moderated the event and was joined by the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Stephanie Vaquer, Logan Paul, Seth Rollins, and Triple H, who touted WrestleMania’s global success over the last several years, and put over Turki Al-Sheikh, whom he called his dear friend, and brought out to the stage as he announced WrestleMania 43 as part of Riyadh Season in 2027.

A couple of WWE stars spoke glowingly of their experience in Saudi Arabia. Undertaker said fans who usually travel to see WrestleMania will be pleasantly surprised by the passion of Saudi wrestling fans and how nice the people are. Bianca Belair said she is impressed with how Saudi Arabia evolves more for women every time she goes there. Triple H said Saudi Arabia is a new hotbed for WWE.

Turki Al-Sheikh commented on WWE’s eight-year partnership with the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority. Turki also praised current WWE President Nick Khan for continuing “the legacy of Vince McMahon,” and said the record-breaking attendance at last year’s WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas influenced the decision to bring WrestleMania to Saudi Arabia.

Al-Sheikh also acknowledged the press release his office accidentally released. He said the press release was published for two seconds before they took it down, and fans went crazy with excitement. Triple H closed out the event, stating, “This doesn’t happen without his excellency, Turki Al-Sheikh and Nick Khan,” and ended by saying WrestleMania 43 will have “a level of stardom and spectacle like you’ve never seen before.”

– Opinion Time

Well, folks, it’s official: WWE will hold its first WrestleMania outside of North America in Saudi Arabia. There are mixed reactions to this announcement. Some like it. Some hate it. Some have concerns. I can’t help but feel that this decision is somewhat unfair to British wrestling fans, as England has been campaigning for what seems like forever to host WrestleMania on its shores.

England is WWE’s second-largest fan base, and their passion for wrestling is well-documented. John Cena got fans even more excited about such a prospect when, at Money in the Bank in 2023, he made a strong pitch for WWE to hold WrestleMania in London, stating, “UK fans have earned the right.” The proclamation led many to believe such a landmark event was on the horizon.

After all, wrestling promotions don’t usually tease something like this unless it’s happening, right?

While WWE did not announce a date for WrestleMania 43, they did officially announce a date for the 2026 Royal Rumble, which will be held on January 31st and previously announced for Saudi Arabia. WON reported that WWE originally wanted to hold off on holding Saudi-helmed WrestleMania until 2028. However, Turki Al-Sheikh had the money to push it through.

WON also reported that holding the event in 2027 will coincide with Saudi Arabia’s 300th anniversary, celebrated annually on February 22, known as Founding Day. The money being thrown around for this event will make it the most money ever spent to put on a wrestling event. A good portion of the astronomical amount of money Turki Al-Sheikh is paying for the show will fund his penchant for having WWE bring in superstars from the past

The Rock is already rumored for the event, and he recently lost a lot of size and muscle, which means he will have under two years to get back into People’s Champion shape. The obvious opponents for Thebe Rock would be either Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes.

Goldberg had his retirement match in July. Perhaps, another Saudi payday might motivate him to work another match. Goldberg’s retirement was self-imposed, so it’s not as if WWE will have to find a creative loophole around a loser-leaves-town stipulation.

Sting said he knows he’ll never wrestle again after announcing his multiyear legends deal with AEW in 2024. What if that deal expires just in time for Turki Al-Sheikh to make an offer too large for Sting to refuse?

Stone Cold Steve Austin is a proud wrestler who wants to put on a good show instead of coasting on his name in a subpar performance. It explains why it took him 19 years to come out of retirement for a match with Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38.

Rumors have persisted that another match is on the horizon for the “Texas Rattlesnake.” A little under two years to prepare, and the biggest payday of his illustrious career could convince Austin to lace up the boots come WrestleMania 43.

Can anyone say Steve Austin vs. CM Punk?

John Cena is in the final leg of his retirement tour, with the finish line set for December 13, 2025. Cena spoke candidly on Stephanie McMahon’s podcast about the pain he deals with, stating that his skills have regressed due to how badly his body is beaten up.

While wrestlers always return eventually, pain changes everything. Cena is making bank with a flourishing Hollywood career, which is less painful than the grind of the squared circle, making the 17-time world champion less susceptible to the allure of a big in-ring payday.

The streets say Chris Jericho will finish with AEW at the end of the year and will return to WWE at the 2026 Royal Rumble. I don’t know if Triple H sees Jericho as a big star due to their tumultuous history behind the scenes. Sure, they got along later, but with Triple H handling the book, can Jericho truly trust “The Game?”

For all we know, Jericho will resign with AEW; however, it feels that the time of “Demo God” or “The Learning Tree” in the promotion has run its course. If financially viable for him personally, Jericho might want to hold off on a return until WrestleMania 2027. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and more time away could equal maximum return on the investment of “Y2J.”

Shawn Michaels has repeatedly stated that he wishes he had never come out of retirement for his match at Crown Jewel 2018, where he teamed up with Triple H against Undertaker and Kane. The match was a trainwreck, and many would love to have it burned from their memory.

Micheals is another wrestler who is proud of his work in the ring and will be nearly 62 years old when WrestleMania 43 rolls around. Will the allure of a multi-million dollar payday be too strong for HBK to turn away?

Undertaker, Kane, Ric Flair (Please, no), and any retired/older wrestler with a big name will have an opportunity to score one more big payday. Turki Al-Sheikh is nostalgic for the stars of yesteryear. Reportedly, Turki requested that WWE book Yokozuna and the Ultimate Warrior for the inaugural event in Saudi Arabia, 2018’s Greatest Royal Rumble. The request went unfulfilled on account of both men being dead.

Turki Al-Sheikh’s desire to see stars from the past indicates the lack of big stars WWE has created in nearly two decades. Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes are the biggest stars in WWE’s contemporary landscape. Vince McMahon helmed Reigns’ ascension to the top of the card, and for most of Rhodes’ run to the top, which Triple H inherited.

Triple H has not yet developed a bona fide star from start to finish. He’s been WWE’s Chief Creative Officer in an uninterrupted capacity for only two years. There are rumors that Bron Breakker, Jacob Fatu, and Rhea Ripley are his top choices to elevate as main event attractions.

WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia was always going to happen. It was just a question of when. It probably would have happened sooner if not for the pandemic. Now, it’s a reality, and it’s conjuring a lot of bad feelings.

There are also many people who don’t care how their bread is buttered when it comes to WrestleMania offerings, and the majority of those who complain about the setting are going to watch it anyhow.

Still, feelings are understandable. Hopefully, WWE can create new marquee superstars between now and 2027 to avoid an over-reliance on the past and to set the table for the genre moving forward.

Begun, the Disney Era Has: WWE’s Future on ESPN

There was a time when the idea of WrestleMania airing on ESPN seemed ridiculous. A different television landscape, where cable is struggling and streaming is king, created a powerful tag team between the worldwide leaders in sports and sports entertainment.

ESPN will broadcast WWE’s premium live events (PLEs) starting in April 2026 with WrestleMania 42. The deal, announced by WWE and Disney, includes ten PLEs each year, featuring major events like WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank.

Reportedly, the deal is worth $1.6 billion over five years, or $320 million annually. WWE PLEs will air on ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service, launching August 21 for $29.99 per month. The last PLE to air on Peacock in 2025 will be Survivor Series on November 29. Peacock will air the Royal Rumble in January 2026. It’s unclear if Peacock will air WWE’s February PLE, Elimination Chamber. NXT PLEs are excluded from the ESPN deal.

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Cody Rhodes on Hot Ones: Wrestling, WWE, and Spicy Wings

WATCH FULL EPISODE HERE

Cody Rhodes is the latest guest to take on the wings of death on this week’s episode of Hot Ones. He discusses Travis Scott busting his eardrum; believing his WrestleMania 40 match against Roman Reigns to be one of the best ever; people looking down on the wrestling industry; his dad, Dusty Rhodes, teaching him to cut promos in the produce section at the grocery store; and using Austin Theory, John Cena, Paul Heyman, Bret Hart, Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan to build the ultimate pro wrestler.

On people looking down on the wrestling industry (2:07):

“Well, I actually think, so a lot of times fans outside our world might underestimate the intelligence of our audience. That’s kind of a low hanging fruit in terms of who watches sports entertainment? Who watches wrestling? And then I feel like it’s always a mistake because you’ll get out there and realize it’s such a wide variety. From the kids, you know I think I’m a bit of a kids act myself, but then there’s these people who’ve grown up with it and it’s this performance theater that is one of a kind. People might look down, a little bit down at our industry and think there’s nothing artistic about what we do. When really, I mean, gosh. We get to go out there and physically- I do something to you, you do something to me that makes them go up, makes them go down, that makes them upset, that makes them happy. And, as a no pun intended, a white meat babyface, as I am labeled, it can be some of the most fun ever and some of the biggest challenges. Because again the audience is sophisticated, as well as the performers.

Credit: First We Feast/Hot Ones

On Travis Scott busting his eardrum (8:52):

“I wish I could tell you it wasn’t true. Because I wanted anyone else to have the credit for that. So, you’ve got Rock in the ring. You’ve got Cena in the ring. But my man Travis, who, nothing but love for, he has a big old hand. So yes, it did bust my eardrum. If anyone ever wonders why I didn’t slap him, first hit him with a Cross Rhodes, he’s gracing us with his presence. Wrestling right now, again we’re getting all these fun folks but years ago it wasn’t that easy. And now here he comes. I want you to come back man. Our house is your house. You know, maybe swing less but our house is your house. So yeah, no, Travis did do that, that’s a fact.”

On his dad, Dusty Rhodes, teaching him to cut promos in the produce section at the grocery store (10:20):

“He’d be like hey look at that lettuce over there. Look at it looking at you. What are you gonna tell that lettuce? He never really put me on the spot. He’d just get into it. Oh yeah. Lettuce, over there by the tomato. And that’s why people like you. But they don’t like lettuce. He’d get into this whole thing, I’m like what? And you’d see other people like what is this man? But yeah, he’d always make the produce jealous of one another. My wife Miss Shelly told me I gotta come get the lettuce but I don’t want it. Yeah, it was a whole thing. If you can cut a promo on the produce section, he’d say you’d be pretty well off.”

On using Austin Theory, John Cena, Paul Heyman, Bret Hart, Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan to build the ultimate pro wrestler (12:23):

“Look. I’m going to make a super controversial choice. People right now, you’re going to hear the collective groan of wrestling social media and the IWC. Look, I’m going with a young guy, Austin Theory. When you check the box of oh, he looks great, we could teach him. Mic skills, they need edge. Yeah, they need 8 Mile. They need you to bring it down. And you have to be sharper than that person. I’d probably say, a combination, and you can pick either or, of a John Cena, who will never allow someone to top him, or a Mr. Heyman. Because that’s a different level of thought. Everything you’re saying is mattering in this moment. He’s judging you. He’s also enjoying it. He’s also planning for you. By the time I’m done with this sentence, he’s got a path for me. And I’m either with him or against him. Technical wrestling, probably Bret Hart. It wasn’t just the moves. It was the punches, the forearms. The best finishing move. I’d say it’s probably a tossup between Stone Cold Stunner and Hogan’s leg drop.”

On believing his WrestleMania 40 match against Roman Reigns to be one of the best ever (14:40):

“The first one we watch is Sting versus Ric Flair from The Great American Bash. And the second one is we watch Bret Hart versus Mr. Perfect from SummerSlam. Yeah, those two. I might say the WrestleMania 40, which I’m in. I went from being the guy who was away from there, trash talking it, started a whole ’nother thing and to come in, earn my place back and then them say hey, it’s all yours. Like literally, like how? How? Yeah, so it might be 40.”

Cody’s Reaction to Da Bomb hot sauce (15:33)

Hulk Hogan’s Legacy is a Tale of Two Cities

My father called me to discuss Hulk Hogan’s passing. While he’s not a wrestling fan, he followed it on the periphery and knew Hogan was my guy growing up. We discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly.

My father is a religious person. While I’m not religious, I was surprisingly soothed by his wisdom, steeped in peace and faith.

Dad remarked on Hogan’s baptism from last year, and was happy to hear that he fully accepted Jesus Christ as his lord and savior. Given Hogan’s complicated history with the truth, I said it may be all for show to improve his image.

Without missing a beat, Dad said, while this might be true, he takes solace in believing Hogan’s spiritual journey is a righteous one. If it turns out to be a publicity stunt, then he needs more help than most and hopefully, through folly, he’s finally found God.

Hulk Hogan’s legacy is a tale of two cities.

On one hand, he’s not just a face on the Mt. Rushmore of Professional Wrestling; he’s the face.

On the other hand, there was much ugliness that is difficult for many to reconcile.

You can not tell the story of professional wrestling without Hulk Hogan. Also, you can not tell his story without telling all of it: the good and the bad.

It doesn’t mean people won’t try on either end of the spectrum. That, however, is the burden of reclamation.

While his racist comments made it easy to wash my hands of the man, it hurt because it made feel foolish for ever being a Hulkamanic.

Yet, despite the hurt, something kept me checking in on all things red and yellow from time to time.

How? Why?

For the LJN/Hasbro generation, when a professional wrestler dies, its the equivalent of a superhero dying. Hulk Hogan was my hero as a kid and the reason I got into wrestling.

He appeared on everything from bed sheets to lunch boxes. No wrestler garnered more flash bulbs and sold more tickets.

At a young age, times were tough, in and out of the home. Wrestling was my escape, and watching Hogan vanquish bad guys gave me hope that maybe the world isn’t such an awful place.

The Hulksters’ matches with Andre, Warrior and Savage were more than mere contests but adventures that exhilarated the soul.

Life was great and wrestling was cool.

Somewhere between Surbaban Commmando and Thunder in Paradise, wrestling became passé. It happened as we traded in our ten-speeds for transport of the automotive variety.

One Bash at the Beach later, Hulk Hogan became a bad guy and formed the NWO with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Once again, the world was watching.

Wrestling was cool again.

As a Black man in his mid-40s, I understand Hulk Hogan’s opinion of people who look like me. Yet, he made my childhood a better place, and that’s something I’ll always look back on fondly.

Mourning and celebration are not the purpose of these words. Nor are they an exercise of separating art and artist.

It’s reverence, not for the man, but the idea of Hulk Hogan. The hero that inspired us to be the best versions of ourselves.

I let my inner child take the wheel on this one, reveling in the nostalgia of a character who was the fulcrum of my favorite pastime.

Today, I’m 7 years old, blissfully ignorant to the reality of what’s to come, and eagerly waiting for the bell to ring as the Mega Powers explode.

My condolences to his family and loved ones.

-Favorite Matches

Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage – WrestleMania 5: The Mega Powers explode, causing the ultimate friendship to collapse due to jealousy over Miss. Elizabeth. The match oozed tension that lived up to its billing.

Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior: WrestleMania 6: This was Superman vs. Batman inside a wrestling ring. As a Hulk Hogan fan, this was the first time I was concerned that he might not win. He lost but shined even more in defeat.

Hulk Hogan vs. Stan Hansen – AJPW/WWF/NJPW Wrestling Summit 4/13/90: Drop toe hold, transition into a front chancery and a running crossbody…OMG, Hulk can wrestle.

Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair: Bash at the Beach 1994: The fact that this match happened in WCW instead of WrestleMania was crazy and quite a fun ride.

Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock – WrestleMania 18: Many believed this was doomed to fail because Hogan was too old. Instead, he stole the show in a classic outing meant to pass the torch.

Hulk Hogan & Edge vs. Billy & Chuck – SmackDown 7/4/02: I was there live and it was sureal to see Hogan winning a title that wasn’t the World Championship. Hogan became one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, in Boston, on the Fourth of July.

Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Orton – SummerSlam 2006: Hull Hogan received the single loudest ovation I’ve ever heard in an arena. I literally couldn’t hear myself think.

Karrion Kross: Bumping Controversies Explained

Karrion Kross had his first PLE match in two years at WWE Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, where he lost to Sami Zayn. Many were excited to see Kross in a featured match as his popularity has increased since his infamous “worked/shoot” promo in April during WrestleMania weekend.

Unfortunately, glad tidings in wrestling often come with mudslinging. WhatCulture.com reported that the reason Kross has received a lack of television time is that he won’t take bumps in his matches. The report cites comments on the matter from longtime wrestling journalist Wade Keller.

“I talked about this when he was all the rage in NXT and coming out of TNA,” said Keller. “I was like, ‘wrestlers are telling me when he gets to the main roster, nobody’s gonna put up with the fact that he doesn’t take bumps.’ He’s scared to bump. He doesn’t flat back bump. I don’t know if he’s got an injury or a concern.”

A bump (or back bump) in professional wrestling is a controlled backwards fall onto the canvas, designed to prevent injury while absorbing impact. Wrestlers tuck their chin while slapping the mat with their hands, distributing their weight evenly to dissipate the force.

The idea that Kross doesn’t take bumps is weird. After all, why should a wrestler put their body on the line to make someone look good if their opponent isn’t willing to do the same? Kross delivers several suplex variations to his opponents. So, the least he can do is take a few bumps in return?

Taking bumps in a match is its own animal. Timing, psychology, and trust are all factors that contribute to a wrestler throwing themselves on their back to create the illusion that they have been knocked down by a thunderous blow and battered by a bone-crushing maneuver.

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Major League Wrestling Enters Trading Card Market with Panini

Major League Wrestling and Panini America Announce

Exclusive Trading Card Partnership

Landmark licensing partnership begins this summer.

NEW YORK – JUNE 30, 2025 – Major League Wrestling (MLW), one of the fastest-growing wrestling leagues in the U.S., and Panini America, the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company, announced today a multi-year exclusive partnership. As part of the agreement, Panini becomes the official trading card, memorabilia, and collectible sticker partner of MLW.

The partnership begins with Panini commemorating some of the most memorable moments from “MLW Summer of the BEASTS” which took place in New York City on Thursday, June 26, by launching products on its Instant Card platform at www.paniniamerica.net. Additional MLW products from Panini will be available later this year at mass retailers including Walmart and Target, in hobby stores nationwide, as well as on Panini’s website.

“As MLW’s global presence continues to grow, partnering with Panini – the worldwide leader in collectibles – is the perfect next step,” MLW Founder and CEO Court Bauer said. “With the world’s top-ranked fighters throwing down in front of sold-out crowds, MLW is built on iconic moments. Now, thanks to Panini, fans can collect those moments and own a piece of the fight.”

With a roster of high-octane talent and a rapidly expanding international footprint, MLW is continuing to build momentum among media and fans alike. This partnership with Panini marks the league’s first entry into officially licensed trading cards and collectibles, giving fans a new way to connect with the action inside – and outside – the ring.

“We are looking forward to this new partnership with MLW, as MLW continues to grow and expand internationally – we are positioned well to help them reach wrestling fans on a global basis and bring trading cards to wrestling fans,” said Mark Warsop, Panini America CEO.

Thoughts: Trading cards were all the rage in the ’80s and ’90s. They fell off significantly in the 2000s and appeared to be a dead industry until a notable resurgence occurred during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the trading card hobby is bigger than ever before.

Wrestling cards used to have little to no value as a financial investment. Today, an Undertaker rookie card not only holds great value, but the deadman himself, Mark Calaway, won’t autograph his rookie card at fan conventions, so fans can’t make money off his name.

AEW star Darby Allin’s rookie card sold for over $1,000 a few years ago. Autograph cards can also fetch a pretty penny, depending on their rarity.

While Topps and Panni are considered the two titans of the contemporary trading card game, Panni is set to lose the NBA and NFL license this year. They will still produce Basketball and Football cards, but they can’t use the team and league logos. Topps currently releases Basketball cards without team and league logos until it obtains the license on October 1st, 2025.

Upper Deck has the AEW license, while Topps has WWE’s exclusive trading card offerings firmly in their pocket, thanks to the juggernaut sports apparel company Fanatics. MLW’s entry into the trading card game offers wrestling fans a third promotional option, as its eclectic roster of veterans and rising stars will introduce many first-time cards to the market.

The Evolution of R-Truth

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

A WWE wrestler is fired on Sunday and rehired on Saturday. Overwhelming fan backlash to such a decision will do that.

It’s cause and effect.

R-Truth announced on social media that he was released from WWE and thanked the fans for their support.

It had to be a joke, right?

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Top 50 WrestleMania Matches of All Time

Since 1985, WrestleMania has been WWE’s premier event—a can’t-miss phenomenon of sport and spectacle that transcends professional wrestling. The greatest moments, most heated rivalries, and biggest matches are reserved for the “Showcase of the Immortals.”

Fans often debate what the greatest WrestleMania matches are, resulting in a wide range of opinions. For many fans, the match between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III stands out. It is a cultural cornerstone of the industry. It is iconic for some, while others consider it unspectacular.

Every list and ranking of this nature is subjective. My list is no more important or better than anyone else’s. Fans watch wrestling for different reasons: some appreciate the athleticism, while others are drawn to the drama. Many enjoy wrestling for all it has to offer.

WrestleMania often reflects the industry at its best. The combination of pomp and pageantry creates seminal moments and legendary matches that leave a lasting impression on the hearts and souls of every wrestling fan.

With so many great matches to consider, compiling this list was a challenge. Without further ado, here are Ringside Logic’s 50 Greatest WrestleMania Matches.

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John Cena’s Shocking Heel Turn at WWE Elimination Chamber

It happened. The heel turn of all heel turns occurred at WWE’s Elimination Chamber event in Toronto. John Cena, the biggest superstar in modern WWE history, shocked the world when he did the one thing he said he’d never do. Cena led a blindside attack on WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, revealing that he, not Rhodes, had sold his soul to The Rock.

Now, John Cena’s farewell tour is a road to perdition

Following Cena’s victory in the Elimination Chamber match, which punched his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 41, Rhodes shook his hand as a symbolic commencement of their road to “The Grandest Stage of The All.”

The Rock, accompanied by rapper Travis Scott, came out to get Rhodes’ answer. Would the WWE Champion sell his soul to “The Final Boss?” Rhodes passionately stated that he had already given his soul to the sport and the fans and concluded with an emphatic “Go F@#% Yourself” to the Hollywood megastar.

Cena hugged Rhodes under the guise of admiration until The Rock gave the order with a throat slash, and Cena went from smile to killer as he kicked Rhodes below the belt and pummeled him with his father’s Rolex. The beating ended with Cena and Scott holding Rhodes down as Rock whipped him with an “American Nightmare” style weight belt insultingly etched with the date of his father’s passing.

Execution is everything in entertainment, and John Cena’s heel turn was well-executed from top to bottom. When WWE lowered the chamber for the men’s match, it quietly signaled that the Rock/Rhodes confrontation was the main event. There was no formal announcement; it was just business as usual.

Fans everywhere knew something big was coming once they realized the confrontation would go on last. Few suspected Cena’s turn to the dark side, but many dismissed the idea as soon as they thought it. Everyone assumed Rock/Rhodes would happen in the middle of the show, and saying otherwise a week or two beforehand would have given everyone more time to deduce the outcome. WWE also didn’t give fans much time to think, which made Cena’s heel turn infinitely better.

Cena hammed it up for the crowd when Rhodes dropped his F-bomb. That should have been a hint, but it snuck under the radar since Cena always hams it up. Then came the hug. Cena embraced Rhodes while giving The Rock a diabolical look before he lowered the boom.

The hug and the look were the key ingredients in Cena’s heel turn. Usually, when a heel turn happens, the victim and the audience find out together. It is almost a communal experience. Here, the audience found out first, letting just enough shock and awe set in before Cody was betrayed.

This time around, Rhodes was indeed the last one to know.

John Cena’s turn began at the Royal Rumble’s post-show press conference. Cena was steadfast in his declaration for the elimination chamber match, citing that his involvement in the main event of WrestleMania is what’s best for business.

The embodiment of hustle, loyalty, and respect would never use his clout to get ahead, right? So what if he simply called his shot instead of qualifying like everyone else? Sure, he spewed that infamous corporate rhetoric about business.

It was an off-brand message chalked up to frustration, having almost won the Royal Rumble. Perhaps it was good old-fashioned nostalgia that gave Cena a pass since it’s his farewell tour. What if Rhodes had taken The Rock up on his offer? Where would that have left Cena?

It’s hard to imagine John Cena being anyone’s plan B. Would Rock have two souls instead of one? Or did the Hollywood Heels (patent pending) know Rhodes would never bend the knee? The latter is the most likely scenario due to one mitigating factor.

Cody Rhodes already has everything The Rock offered him. Fame, fortune, cars, movie/television roles, and he’s the face of WWE. On the other hand, The Rock has something he can offer Cena. The record. A seventeenth world championship. Cena doesn’t care how he gets it, and why should he. After all, he tied the record fair and square. So what if he cheats to break it?

Heel turns are a tale as old as time in professional wrestling. They hit differently, however, when it is the biggest star in the business trading in their white hat for a black hat. Cena’s turn conjured instant comparisons to when Hulk Hogan turned heel in 1996, formed the nWo, and thus changed the business forever. Both wrestlers were the heroes of their respective eras, and both turns were extremely shocking.

In 1996, the Internet was still in its infancy. A steady stream of information about the inner workings of wrestling was not readily available, so there was nothing to spoil or even hint at what occurred at Bash at the Beach. Hogan was off TV for three months, which augmented the shock of his turn.

Twenty-nine years later, the Internet is available to everyone, and many fans have a greater understanding of wrestling due to the backstage news cycle of various promotions. As a result, some deduced Cena’s turn once the order of events for the Elimination Chamber was revealed.

A Cody Rhodes/John Cena match had been rumored for a few months as the main event at WrestleMania. Some didn’t believe it. Those who did believe it assumed Cena would pass the torch to Rhodes in a babyface vs. babyface affair similar to WrestleMania VI when Hulk Hogan lost to the Ultimate Warrior.

Good guy against good guy is a hard match to pull off. Not only do you risk splitting the audience, there is no heat. The aforementioned Warrior/Hogan match is a masterclass of two heroes clashing. The same can’t be said for Steve Austin vs. Undertaker at the 1998 SummerSlam. Austin was unquestionably the star of the company, but the Undertaker had too much respect from the audience to jeer him without cause.

WrestleMania 41 now has a main event with white-hot heat. It’s no longer a given that Rhodes beats Cena. In fact, heel Cena is the biggest threat to Rhodes’ title. Babyface Cena beating Rhodes for the world title record is a feel-good story that some would damn with faint praise. Newly minted heel Cena beating Rhodes for the record is something the world would remember, and the same for Rhodes conquering a now soulless Cena.

“How dare you talk to me about chances, John Cena. I have had to earn everything I’ve ever been given in life, and still, they’re taken from me. You, you’re the golden goose, John. Your chances they’re unlimited, you’re untouchable. But you’re not a hero, John. You’re a bully. You’re a horrible person. You take the weaknesses of others, and you turn them into jokes. You do anything for fame, John. Congratulations, you’re the man now, John. Poor, lonely John Cena. This is your last chance, man.” – Bray Wyatt

2025 Men’s Royal Rumble Preview & Predictions

Thirty men will battle in the most anticipated match of the year. The thirty-eighth edition of the Royal Rumble emanates from the “Cross Roads of America.” Sixty-five thousand fans will descend upon Lucas Oil Stadium with the WrestleMania hopes of their favorite WWE superstars hanging in the balance.

Two Rumble matches and two championship showdowns boast a less-is-more lineup. Cody Rhodes will likely retain the WWE Championship in his ladder match against Kevin Owens. Although the outcome seems predictable, the storytelling has made the journey worthwhile.

This year’s Men’s Royal Rumble is the most unpredictable of all time, a far cry from years past. Vince McMahon’s booking style focused on one main star while everyone else was a rung below. Triple H has reinvigorated WWE storytelling by making every character as important as possible.

Eighteen entrants have declared for the Rumble. The remaining spots will be wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, NXT and a couple of surprises from perhaps TNA or the independent scene. The wrestlers already in the Rumble all have a story going into the match in one form or another.

Will John Cena win his last Royal Rumble? A winning lottery ticket on his farewell tour could earn him a shot of breaking the record for most world championships. Now that Bloodline business is settled, Roman Reigns looks to reclaim the throne following his record-setting title reign. Seth Rollins’ road to WrestleMania is intriguing regardless of which champion he faces. One of the titles is held by a man Rollins has never beaten, while the dominant Gunther holds the belt he made famous.

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