John Cena earned his Undisputed WWE Championship opportunity against Cody Rhodes by winning the Men’s Elimination Chamber match last Saturday in Toronto.
The 16-time World Champion shocked fans later that night when he attacked Rhodes and aligned himself with The Rock. This unexpected heel turn marked a dramatic shift for Cena after decades as WWE’s top babyface.
Cena’s motivation appears focused on breaking Ric Flair’s record by capturing a historic 17th world championship reign at WrestleMania 41.
Wrestling veteran Paul Roma shared his prediction about the upcoming championship match during the latest episode of the Power & Glory podcast.
So, the way I’m seeing it is like this. Look, you know I’m a big fan of Dusty Rhodes. You know that. I have nothing against any of the Rhodes family. I think that Cody is blah right now. He has nothing going on. He comes out, the fans applaud him, but they don’t go crazy over him. For lack of a better word, as we would always say, he’s dead in the water right now. They need to try and spark something, get something going, whether they’re gonna put Cena over on him to make him a real heel and that’s basically what I see happening. If something is gonna happen, you’re gonna turn this guy full heel, he’s gotta beat your top babyface.
Roma believes WWE needs to firmly establish Cena’s heel turn by having him defeat Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.
The former Power & Glory tag team member suggested that the current crowd reaction to Rhodes lacks the intensity needed for a top babyface champion.
Cena’s pursuit of a record-breaking 17th world championship provides clear motivation for his character’s dramatic alignment shift after the Elimination Chamber event.
The unexpected alliance between Cena and The Rock has completely altered the WrestleMania 41 landscape just weeks before the premium live event.
Rhodes captured the Undisputed WWE Championship from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, ending Reigns’ historic 1,316-day title reign.
The championship match between Rhodes and Cena will take place at WrestleMania 41 on April 19-20 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
