While it seemed unlikely that Cody Rhodes would turn heel and align himself with The Rock, new reports suggest that the former WWE Champion genuinely pushed for it to happen.
At Elimination Chamber 2025, The Rock confronted Rhodes, offering him an alliance. However, when Rhodes rejected the proposal, The Rock set his sights on a backup plan—John Cena—who ultimately betrayed Rhodes that night.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that The Rock legitimately wanted to turn Rhodes heel and align with him. However, WWE officials believed this would have been the wrong move for the company at this time.
“The feeling was that this current crowd is for Rhodes, and there is the argument that you don’t mess with a successful formula. Rhodes turned down The Rock’s idea that he go heel, and Cena was the second choice.”
Meltzer also noted that while CM Punk seemed like a possible candidate for the storyline, Cena was always the top alternative once Rhodes declined:
“I had figured Punk was going to get the slot, but we’re told it never came down to him as Cena agreed to do it.”
With Cena now embracing his first true heel run in WWE, the company is moving full steam ahead toward WrestleMania 41, where Cena vs. Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship is now one of the biggest matches on the card.
