John Cena’s Comments About AEW e Cody Rhodes Backfired, Says Former WWE Star
Eric Bischoff slams John Cena’s AEW jab at Cody Rhodes during Raw segment, calling it “too internal” to generate proper heat.
A recent verbal exchange between John Cena and Cody Rhodes has drawn criticism from WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff, who took issue with industry-insider references made during their RAW confrontation.
The segment in question occurred during the March 31 edition of Raw when Rhodes claimed fans selected him as WWE’s top star while Cena was management’s choice. Cena responded with a pointed remark about “building empires for billionaires” while suggesting Rhodes merely “steals money from their children” – a clear reference to Rhodes’ previous work with Tony Khan in AEW.
On his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff didn’t mince words about the exchange:
It doesn’t generate ‘heat’ with me. I mean, heat that you would want. I mean, no. No fun. It doesn’t work for me, bro. It’s too internal. I don’t have a problem with good internal things if they make it bleed. Like, if you’re going to put something on someone and you’re going to use reality as your support mechanism, which I love and encourage, you have to do it in a way that makes it bleed and creates heat between the two of you.
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Bischoff’s critique centered on the “internal” nature of the jab, suggesting that industry references only work when they genuinely enhance the rivalry between performers rather than simply acknowledging competition.
The confrontation builds toward their upcoming championship match at WrestleMania 41 on April 19-20, where a victory would make Cena a 17-time world champion, breaking the current record.
