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.
