John Cena will make his first appearance on Monday Night RAW on March 17 following his heel turn at the 2025 Elimination Chamber premium live event. This will mark his first on-screen appearance since aligning with The Rock and attacking Cody Rhodes.

WWE recently added new merchandise on their official website that might hint at Cena’s character direction. The new t-shirts feature a bulldog wearing a lock chain design, visually similar to merchandise Cena wore during his Chain Gang character phase in the mid-2000s.

The bulldog with chain imagery bears resemblance to Cena’s previous merchandise from his earlier WWE run, potentially indicating a revival of elements from that character with his new heel persona.

Cena shocked fans at Elimination Chamber 2025 when he won the Men’s Chamber Match and subsequently aligned with The Rock after Rhodes refused to join forces with “The Final Boss.” This dramatic character shift marked the end of Cena’s long-running “Never Give Up” babyface persona.

The March 17 RAW appearance will provide Cena his first opportunity to address fans directly since this unexpected alliance formation. Viewers can expect clarification on his motivations and potentially see the debut of his new character presentation.

With WrestleMania 41 approaching, Cena is scheduled to challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship, aiming for a record-breaking 17th world championship victory.

The merchandise modifications potentially signal WWE’s approach to repackaging Cena’s presentation following his character alignment change, though the specific direction remains to be confirmed on the upcoming RAW broadcast.

WWE have released new official John Cena 'CHAINGANG' merchandise 👀 pic.twitter.com/4XyWiO3OEZ— Hamza (#RoadToWrestlemania) (@WPNHamza) March 10, 2025

WWE may have inadvertently revealed plans for John Cena’s first championship defense should he defeat Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. The company recently announced Backlash 2025, which will take place on May 10 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

During the initial hours after the announcement, the Backlash premium live event WWE page featured John Cena and Randy Orton as the promotional superstars. This brief listing appears to indicate both competitors are planned for the event.

The promotional pairing suggests Randy Orton could be Cena’s first challenger if Cena defeats Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania. St. Louis is Orton’s hometown, making this potential championship match particularly significant.

This marketing decision represents another hint that Cena might win his record-breaking 17th world championship at WrestleMania 41. WWE has also scheduled Cena to appear on the April 25 edition of SmackDown at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Cena turned heel at the 2025 Elimination Chamber after winning the Men’s Chamber Match. He aligned with The Rock after Rhodes refused to join forces with “The Final Boss.”

The confrontation between Cena and Rhodes escalated when Cena attacked The American Nightmare, leaving him bloodied in the ring. This shocking heel turn dramatically altered Cena’s trajectory heading into WrestleMania.

A potential Cena-Orton match would resurrect one of WWE’s most storied rivalries. The two competitors have faced each other numerous times throughout their careers, but this encounter would mark their first match with Cena as the heel and Orton as the fan favorite.

Cena will challenge Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41. Backlash is scheduled to take place approximately one month after WrestleMania, serving as the first premium live event following WWE’s showcase of immortals.

JOHN CENA vs RANDY ORTON

Undisputed WWE Championship

BACKLASH 2025 • St. Louis MO pic.twitter.com/B4Nb84JRdq— Ceaser Wrestling (@CeaserWrestles) March 14, 2025

Drew McIntyre’s path following WrestleMania 41 remains uncertain as WWE considers potential storyline directions for the Scottish superstar. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer, the company originally planned for McIntyre to feud with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes after the premium live event.

This planned rivalry could face significant changes depending on WrestleMania’s championship outcome. Meltzer reports that if John Cena defeats Rhodes for the title, WWE would likely move away from the McIntyre-Rhodes program.

“If Cena wins the Undisputed WWE Title, the McIntyre vs. Rhodes rivalry is unlikely to materialize,” Meltzer noted in his report, creating uncertainty for McIntyre’s post-WrestleMania direction.

McIntyre’s recent journey has included both triumph and disappointment. At WrestleMania 40, he defeated Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship but lost the title minutes later when Damian Priest successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.

His intense rivalry with CM Punk culminated in a Hell in a Cell match at WWE Bad Blood. Since then, McIntyre has struggled to regain momentum, falling short in both the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber matches in 2025.

His only premium live event singles victory in recent months came against Sami Zayn. Currently, McIntyre appears to be heading toward a match with Damian Priest at WrestleMania 41.

WrestleMania 41 will take place on April 19-20 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. WWE has not officially announced changes to creative plans involving McIntyre following the event.