John Cena
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To say WrestleMania 41 was a train wreck would be an understatement as fans of the WWE took to social media to let it be known that this year’s wrestling super bowl was one of thee worst in recent memory. However, having John Cena make history by winning his 17th World Heavyweight title in arguably the worst main event in WrestleMania history was the icing on the carrot cake.
According to Newsweek, John Cena’s historic win came at the end of what many felt was a slow and sluggish match between John Cena and former Undisputed Champion, Cody Rhodes. And though this was supposed to be John Cena’s final match in the WWE, having him walk away with the championship opens the door to more John Cena for the foreseeable future.
The “worst” WrestleMania main event comes a year after what many considered the “Best” WrestleMania main event, which saw Cody Rhodes defeat Roman Reigns to become the undisputed champion and featured appearances and interference from the likes of The Rock, The Undertaker, Seth Rollins, and others. This time around they got Travis Scott to attempt to help John Cena only to feel the wraith of Cody Rhodes in the square ring (that was kind of funny though). By winning the world title a 17th time, John Cena surpassed the legendary Ric Flair, who held the record as the 16-time World Heavyweight champion for decades.
Still, the entire weekend left a sour taste in the mouths of wrestling fans, and one has to wonder how WWE plans on righting the ship going forward. John Cena seems to know whatever he said post-WrestleMania would be held against him in the court of public opinion and instead opted to avoid talking about the “worst” WrestleMania main event in WWE history.
Per Newsweek:
Cena refused to answer any questions, instead opting to say that the questions were “clickbait” and were “lazy reporting.”
“I’m beginning to sense a pattern here, that you guys are just looking for headlines, so I’ll give you one,” Cena said. “Tune into Monday Night Raw to see how I ruin wrestling. And keep in mind that you are talking to the last real champion. Step your game up next time.”
Additionally, fans noted that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson didn’t show up despite seemingly being the catalyst to Cena becoming the villain.
Instead, fans were treated to a sluggish match with no variety that ended due to an interference from Travis Scott, who isn’t a wrestler.
Cena said that his goal is to ruin pro wrestling. And if he keeps this up, he just might.
How Trumpian of John Cena.
What did y’all think of WrestleMania 41? Was it the worst one ever? Let us know in the comments section below.
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The road to WrestleMania 41 leads to Las Vegas. WWE’s epic two-night Super Bowl-esque spectacle will have wrestling fans, celebrities and musicians flocking to Sin City to witness a jam-packed wrestling card and the resolution of many yearlong storylines. Will John Cena get his fairy-tale ending by defeating Cody Rhodes? Will The Rock and Travis Scott intervene? Can Jey Uso take down the Ring General, Gunther, for the World Heavyweight Championship belt?
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As usual, the lineups for WrestleMania 41 are split between Night One and Night Two. Night One, currently features seven matches, headlined by a must-watch triple-threat match between Roman Reigns, Seth “Freaking” Rollins and CM Punk, a heated rivalry brooding for years now. For Night Two, six matches will be on the card with a much anticipated headliner between Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and WWE legend John Cena, which will most likely be the last match of his career.
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With WrestleMania 41 kicking off this Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, here’s everything you need to know to tune in live on Peacock.
When and Where Is WrestleMania 41?
WrestleMania 41 will kick off on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT each day. The event will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
What’s the Match Card for WrestleMania 41?
Catch the full WrestleMania 41 match cards for Night One and Night Two below.
Night One match card (April 19, 7 p.m. ET, Peacock):
Triple-threat match: Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs CM Punk
World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Jey Uso
WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
World Tag Team Championship: War Raiders (c) vs. The New Day
United States Championship: LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano
Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
Night Two match card (April 20, 7 p.m. ET, Peacock):
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena
WWE Women’s World Championship (triple-threat): Iyo Sky (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair
Women’s Tag Team Championship: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
Intercontinental Championship (fatal four-way): Bron Breakker (c) vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta vs. Finn Bálor
Sin City Street Fight: Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre
AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
How to Watch WrestleMania 41?
WrestleMania 41 will be exclusively streaming on Peacock. Not a subscriber? You can get the NBCUniversal streaming service for just $7.99/month, which offers live sports, binge-worthy TV shows, exclusive movies and specials. For wrestling fans, the streaming services is home to every pay-per-view WWE event throughout its history. So if you want to relive the Attitude Era, now you can.
There’s also a Peacock Premium Plus plan ($13.99/month), which will give you access to ad-free viewing and download capabilities. There is no free trial for the streaming platform, but with the annual plan, you’ll get a year of Peacock for the price of 10 months. Sign up for Peacock below.
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It finally happened.
After decades of being the baby face of the WWE, John Cena finally shocked the world when he finally turned heel and betrayed Cody Rhodes at Saturday night’s PPV event, Elimination Chamber. At the behest of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena suckered Rhodes into a bear hug before he kicked Cody Rhodes in the family jewels and proceeded to beat him with a gold watch, microphone, and the WWE Championship belt until he drew blood from his platinum blonde wig.
To make matters even worse (and hilarious), Travis Scott actually partook in the universal beatdown, and for whatever reason, put hands on the “American Nightmare” as he laid bloody and beaten in the squared ring. While we know all of this is theater and scripted, La Flame blessed Cody Rhodes with quite the pimp slap that would’ve made Iceberg Slim proud, as fans as far back as the 10th row heard the impact as soon as it landed on Cody Rhodes’ face.
Not bad, sir. We’re just glad he didn’t get any blood on those Jordan Jumpman Jack TRs. That would’ve hurt us.
While we don’t know if Cactus Jack will continue to play any role in the upcoming beef between Rhodes, The Rock, and John Cena, in a post-PPV interview, The Rock said that Scott actually wanted to get some blood on his hands, and truth be told, we enjoyed it.
Variety reports:
“He wanted to get his hands bloody,” The Rock said during a press conference after the event about Scott. “I whispered to him as he was going out [to the ring]. I said, ‘if you’re gonna get your hands bloody, make it count. Make it count. He slapped the shit of Cody tonight. He was really, really hyped up.”
“He loves the business,” the Rock said. “We get guys and girls like that who want to come in and who are already tapping in culture and disrupting culture in their own cool way. Maybe they want to sit and enjoy, maybe they want to be on camera.
“But then some want to get involved,” the Rock continued, “and then some, like Travis, deeply want to get involved. And that’s what you saw tonight.”
Now this begs the question, will Rhodes respond by bringing out a rapper of his own to help him neutralize the threat of Travis Scott? Might sound corny but with the way WWE does business you just never know. Either way, it was a helluva night for the WWE universe.
What do y’all think about John Cena going heel and Travis Scott putting hands on the WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes? Let us know in the comments section below.
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WWE Raw is entering a new era and made its splashy debut on the Netflix platform this week, with the early reactions from fans largely staying favorable. WWE Raw was packed with surprises as Triple H, The Rock, John Cena, and Hulk Hogan all showed up at varying intervals.
We’re CHANGING THE GAME on Monday nights! 💥#RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/1xWCPSAW2D
— WWE (@WWE) January 7, 2025
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The WWE Raw and Netflix deal stirred up plenty of interest among pro wrestling fans and the anticipation for Monday’s (Jan. 6) event was high from the moment the partnership was announced in 2024. It’s clear that the deal is a lucrative one with the opening video montage getting fans both new and established up to speed about the history of professional wrestling.
FINALLY… 🎤#RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/OuwTKNl1a5
— WWE (@WWE) January 7, 2025
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Triple H, who is the WWE’s chief content officer, opened up the show at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles before giving the center of the ring to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who sits on the board of TKO Group, the company behind the UFC and WWE. Johnson gave praise to Netflix, his cousin Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes in a promo moment that seemed to win some fans over.
It’s getting EMOTIONAL right here and now.#RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/wg7g1lKniz
— WWE (@WWE) January 7, 2025
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John Cena, who is currently on his path to retiring from pro wrestling, kicked off his farewell tour in a quick promo for his Feb. 1 Royal Rumble match. After the announcement, the matchups were visually entertaining and full of spectacle as expected.
WE’VE GOT COMPANY!!!#RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/YNnPhGYSD3
— WWE (@WWE) January 7, 2025
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RHEA RIPLEY DID IT!!!#RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/CHctDf2qaP
— WWE (@WWE) January 7, 2025
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Roman Reigns, alongside his trusty manager Paul Heyman, took down Solo Sikoa in the Tribal Combat match for the Ula Fala and recognition as Tribal Chief of the Anoaʻifamily. That was followed by the Women’s World Championship bout between Rhea Ripley, who defeated Liv Morgan for the title.
Hulk Hogan, at one time one of the most popular stars in the pro wrestling world, was on hand to promote his Real American Beer brand but faced the boos of the crowd despite trying to thank WWE and his supporters. It could be assumed that Hogan was targeted due to his connection to President-elect Donald Trump.
🗣️ LET’S GO ROLL-INS!
🗣️ CM PUNK!#RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/KvnaxFSw5U
— WWE (@WWE) January 7, 2025
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After Hogan was swiftly moved to the side, Jey Uso, also part of the Anoaʻi wrestling family, took on Drew McIntyre and won the match. Afterwards, the main event, CM Punk and Seth Rollins ended with Punk emerging victorious.
In all, it appears that WWE Raw’s partnership with Netflix will be a fruitful one as it remains one of the top ratings cash cows in all of sports and entertainment.
On X, reactions to the event were all over the map with some not pleased with the show while others said they’re back on the bandwagon. We’ve got them listed below.
WWE’s Chief Content Officer @TripleH narrates the official Cold Open for the debut of #RawOnNetflix streaming live TONIGHT at 8PM ET nationwide!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/35eCNT1Moa
— WWE (@WWE) January 6, 2025
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Photo: WWE/Getty
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Comic book fans still aren’t sure exactly how James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe will round out and which characters will be invited to join his new Superman and friends, but if rumors are to be believed, John Cena’s Peacemaker will be included as the second season of the series has just wrapped filming.
On Monday (Nov. 25), James Gunn excitedly announced that Season 2 of the popular DC series is officially in the can and took to X to express how much he loved the team behind it writing, “And that is a WRAP on #Peacemaker season 2, including our last remaining actors Steve Agee, Tim Meadows, Sol Rodriguez & Brandon Stanley (& our DP Sam McCurdy pictured here moments after the last shot.) Thanks to our entire cast & crew who made this a wonderful experience. My relief to have a break from shooting after ten months straight is countered by how much I’ll miss all of you!”
https://x.com/JamesGunn/status/1861178032406610350
In an earlier post, Gunn praised John Cena himself for the performance he put in as the character posting a pic of himself with Cena saying, “And that’s a #Peacemaker Season Two wrap on @JohnCena &@jennlholland, who both turned in wonderful performances this season as Christopher Smith and Emilia Harcourt. To top it off, shooting yesterday was one of the most fun days of shooting I have EVER had! Thanks to the incredible people of Savannah, Georgia for making the Peacemaker crew’s stay here so special.”
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1860369232724467845
Looks like John Cena’s Peacemaker might actually be meeting David Corenswet’s Superman at some point in the future especially since Deadline is reporting that they’ll have a specific character connecting both franchises.
Per Deadline:
Season 2 of the HBO series will welcome Frank Grillo to the cast. Grillo will play Rick Flag Sr. in live-action form. Grillo first voiced the animated version of his character in the Max animated series Creature Commandos.
“This isn’t just a good guy, not at all,” Gunn told EW recently. “We see all different sides of his character. He is morally a complex human being. Grillo is somebody who I’ve known for a little while, and I’ve wanted to work with him for a long time. He was one of the first people that I talked to when I took over the studio, like ‘we’re going to find something cool for you,’ and now he is everywhere.”
Interestingly enough, Gunn also teased the inclusion of a new character in Season 2 of Peacemaker, posting a picture of someone near a campfire with a caption that read, “Who might this be? #Peacemaker.”
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1844056853791084667
We don’t know but we bet fans have their theories on who it’ll be.
Are you excited about the second season of Peacemaker? How soon should he be included in James Gunn’s cinematic DC Universe? Let us know in the comments section below.
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After professionally wrestling for almost a quarter of a century, WWE superstar John Cena is calling it a career.
According to Deadline, the iconic wrestling superstar plans on hanging it up after 23 years of putting on amazing shows in the squared ring exclusively for the WWE. One of the very few wrestlers to have never left the company he started for, John Cena has spent the last two decades and change giving people reasons to both cheer him and jeer him while never once turning heel after becoming the face of the company. At one point, people began to boo him just because he was such a good guy that he became corny to them. It was hilarious.
Now, it seems like the 13-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion is prepared to move on to bigger and better things (Hollywood) as over the weekend, during a surprise appearance at WWE’s Money in the Bank event in Toronto, Canada, Cena shocked everyone when he announced that after next year’s WrestleMania you won’t see him wrestling in the ring ever again.
Per Deadline:
“Why am I here? Tonight, I officially announce my retirement from the WWE,” he said to shocked gasps from the audience.
Later in his speech, Cena revealed he plans to stay on to take part in Monday Night Raw as it makes the unprecedented move to Netflix in January 2025.
“This farewell, it does not end tonight,” he said. “It is filled with opportunity. Everybody, Raw makes history next year when it moves to Netflix. I’ve never been a part of Raw on Netflix, that is history. That is a first, and I will be there.
“And along with that history making first, we are going to build so many unforgettable lasts. The 2025 Royal Rumble will be my last. The 2025 Elimination Chamber will be my last. And I’m here tonight to announce that in Las Vegas, WrestleMania 2025 will be the last WrestleMania I compete in,” added Cena.
With John Cena at least outlining what his last year of wrestling will entail, we have to wonder what kind of storyline will lead to his exit. Who will be his last antagonist? Roman Reigns? Solo Sikoa? CM Punk? It’s anyone’s guess at this point, but we just hope he puts on a helluva last run as he’s earned it over the decades.
“Thank you so much for letting me play in the house that you built for so many years,” said Cena. “Thank you so much always for your voice, because it’s really loud, and your honesty, because it’s beautifully brutal. And most of all, thank you so much for allowing me to be with you here tonight to let the whole world know that we are planning something unforgettable, which also involves me returning to Toronto to kick some ass!”
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Will Smith and The Oscars will forever be linked after the slapping incident heard around the world involving the actor and Chris Rock. However, some on X are wondering out loud why Will Smith is banned for his actions but John Cena going nude on the Oscars stage got to fly without a hitch.
In a bit with Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel, John Cena presented the nominees for the Best Costume Design award. Cena’s state of undress was a callback to the 1974 Academy Awards ceremony where a naked streaker took to the stage.
Cena elected not to run across the stage but instead was naked save for covering the front of his privates with the nominee list. The award was given to Holly Waddington, who worked on the film, Poor Things.
While the moment was focused on being comedic at its root, it appears some on X are wondering how the academy heads let this fly and Smith was hit with a decade-long ban from the festivities.
There are also folks online calling the moment for Cena a “humiliation ritual” as a part of whatever phantom Hollywood cabal’s initiation practices. We’ll leave that one alone for all the reasons one can imagine.
As it stands, Will Smith is trending on X, formerly Twitter, and we’ve got reactions to John Cena’s moment below.
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Tony Yayo’s signature hand gesture has taken on new heights. He has saluted Angel Reese for her iconic use of the “You Can’t See Me” dance.
As per Complex the Southside Queens, New York native recently spoke to TMZ Sports about the Louisiana State University women’s basketball team’s championship run. Not only did the LSU ladies defeat Iowa but their star player Angel Reese gave America’s NCAA sweetheart Caitlin Clark a taste of her own medicine by doing it in front of her once the victory was secured. Surprisingly the moment soon went viral and while media outlets largely gave credit to wrestler John Cena for the dance, real ones knew it all started with Tony Yayo.
The G-Unit member put respect on the power forward when asked about her doing the dance. “Any kind of sports, talking trash is a part of the game,” Tony explained. “I mean, it was for the championship game. It’s competition. Even when I’m playing 2k — if you playin’ in the game, with video games, we get excited. You know?”
Yayo went on to share why he originated the move. “It’s just a dance. I don’t take nothin’ personal. It was a dance I created because I was trying to hide from the police. But shout out to all them people — John Cena, Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark — and definitely Flavor Flav. But Angel Reese? You know, she took the ‘U Can’t C Me’ dance to a whole another level.”
You can see Tony Yayo discuss the iconic celebration below.
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