John Cena excelling as ‘the puppet master’ in final year of wrestling
LAS VEGAS — WWE commentator Joe Tessitore was right. It was a softball question.
After John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41 to capture his record 17th WWE Championship, he didn’t give an answer to any questions about the victory. Questions about The Rock or whether he’ll smile were met with ‘that seems like clickbait.’
So in the final question, a USA TODAY Sports reporter asked Cena about what was going through his head as he made WWE history, if he felt reminiscent of everything he’s accomplished over his storied career and what it’s like separating himself as the most decorated WWE star.
Simple enough right? Think again.
‘You know, that seems like a clickbait question,’ Cena told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I’m beginning to sense a pattern here that you guys are just looking for headlines.
‘Keep in mind you are now talking to the last real champion. Step your game up next time,’ he added.
Well then.
It’s a response good enough to hurt the ego, but it’s a reminder that in his final act, Cena is still at the top of his game.
If we’re discussing the WWE title match itself, it didn’t really live up to the expectations. While there was plenty of electricity inside Allegiant Stadium as Cena and Rhodes delivered signature moves, there were some slow spots.
It wasn’t a finish people anticipated. Travis Scott came out when people expected The Rock, and even though the rapper was part of the beatdown of Rhodes at Elimination Chamber, it just felt odd to have him involved in such a big spot.
The match ending with Cena knocking Rhodes with the title felt anti-climatic, almost as if the audience was robbed of that signature moment the bout called for. Whether you were happy or mad at the result, the match felt like it failed to live up to all the hype. Tessitore and fellow commentator Big E admitted the match wasn’t one of Cena’s greatest nor would it be seen as a five-star match in the future.
But in between all of that, the brilliance of Cena’s heel era was on full display.
WrestleMania is all about elaborate entrances, and no one knows that better than Cena. From mobsters at WrestleMania 22, driving the car through glass at WrestleMania 23 or the several clones at WrestleMania 25, Cena knows how to make a spectacular entrance on the grandest stage of them all.
His final WrestleMania gave him the chance to have one more iconic entrance. But as he feuds with the fans he says have asked so much from him, he made sure to deny them of that moment. His entrance was just a black screen that read his name.
It was the perfect touch for this current iteration of Cena. He’s in such a peculiar spot because since he was so popular and loved for the majority of his career, people will still cheer him on for anything he does. That’s a tough assignment for any star to balance, because Cena could easily crack. He almost did when the fans thanked him as he made his way out of the stadium.
But instead of letting this character fall apart, Cena has used the constant support to his advantage, swaying the audience in whichever way he desires.
‘I love where John’s head is at,’ said WWE chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. ‘The funny thing is that people were flipping the coin for him before. Now he’s flipping the coin, right? They booed John. They were relentless on him. They pushed him to be great in some ways, but it was not easy for him sometimes.
‘Now he gets to be the puppet master, and he gets to flip that coin for them and be the polar opposite of everything that he was before.’
When Cena announced his retirement tour last year, no one saw this coming. When he made his first appearance at the Netflix debut of Monday Night Raw, people still didn’t see as he didn’t think a championship would be obtainable. But he did make a promise.
‘I will give you everything I got. You got my word, I always have. I’ve always given you everything I have,’ Cena said on Jan. 6.
It’s not exactly how people envisioned it, but Cena is in fact giving everything he has into the final run. It’s been captivating, and every move he makes has become a must-watch moment, somehow upping the importance of what was already going to be stellar last year.
Levesque also believes Cena is having a great time with this new persona.
‘I believe he smiled all the time before, and on the inside he was grumpy, and now the grumpy is on the outside, and on the inside, he’s smiling at it all,” he said.
What’s next for the John Cena farewell tour?
Other than belittle reporters, Cena did say on the Raw after WrestleMania he will show how he plans to ruin wrestling. There’s no telling what those plans entail, but it certainly will be something that has the attention of every WWE fan.
And even better, there isn’t just Raw for him to do. As champion, Cena will be making plenty of appearances in the final seven months of his career, and the race begins to dethrone Cena from the title before he walks away as the ‘last true champion.’
The end of WrestleMania signifies the end of WWE’s year, and the ‘new season’ begins after the flagship event. It’s anyone’s guess what happens from now until the end of the next season and the clock on Cena’s career is up. But it certainly will be something that has the attention of every WWE fan.
Levesque said there will be ‘a lot of holy (expletive)’ moments coming, and it’s a safe bet a good many of those will come from Cena. He’s already orchestrated a masterpiece, and there’s no doubt the momentum is ending soon.
‘As somebody else says all the time, ‘just hang in for the ride.’ He’s driving now, and he’s having a blast doing it,’ Levesque said.
So yes, Cena may not have hit the slow pitch, softball question. But he showed he still has his fastball, and he’s proved it’s a farewell tour that will be remembered for all of wrestling.
(This story was updated to add a video.)
