Original Plans for John Cena and Cody Rhodes Segment on WWE RAW Revealed
WrestleVotes reports the March 17 Cena-Rhodes confrontation on WWE Raw doubled its planned duration, forcing several segments to move online.
The John Cena and Cody Rhodes confrontation from March 17 WWE Raw lasted twice as long as originally scheduled, significantly impacting the broadcast’s planned content.
According to WrestleVotes in its Backstage Pass report, WWE initially allocated just 15 minutes for the opening confrontation between the two superstars.
After speaking with sources about Monday’s RAW, we were informed that the show’s beginning ran longer than initially planned, as the opening segment with John Cena and Cody Rhodes was scheduled for only 15 minutes.
The segment’s extended duration forced WWE to move multiple segments to their social media platforms rather than broadcasting them on television.
Content shifted to digital platforms included segments featuring Maxxine Dupri and Natalya, plus an interaction between Bayley and Lyra Valkyria.
The scheduled match between Jey Uso and Austin Theory also faced substantial modifications. The bout lasted less than one minute on air despite being allocated eight minutes of ring time following Jey’s entrance during a commercial break.
Theory addressed criticism about the abbreviated match through social media. The wrestler posted “move on” with a rocket emoji on X on March 18.
Despite these programming adjustments, WWE reportedly felt extremely positive about the audience reaction to Cena’s promo.