John Cena teams with The Rock in jaw-dropping heel turn on Cody Rhodes at WWE Elimination Chamber

John Cena has done what was once unthinkable.

The 16-time world champion and longtime WWE babyface, who is on his year-long retirement tour, has finally turned heel by aligning with The Rock and rapper Travis Scott to double-cross Cody Rhodes in front of a stunned crowd at Rogers Centre to end the Elimination Chamber PLE on Saturday.

It’s uncharted territory for Cena and WWE. Consider that no one has granted more “Make-A-Wish” wishes than Cena.

“The thing I’m excited for is watching John perform this,” The Rock said in the post-show press conference. “Because if you think about it, John has been our Babe Ruth, our Superman. He is the guy you never, ever, ever, thought would turn in this way and he did. And it’s a big risk and it’s ballsy to do something like that and it’s gutsy and he put a lot of thought into it.”

The trio was loudly booed and Cena was showered in chants of “You sold out!”

The “Peacemaker” star will be a true heel for the first time in his 23-year career in WWE after a moment that will be compared to Hulk Hogan’s heel turn to join the nWo at WCW’s Bash at the Beach in 1996.

Cena, 47, won the Chamber match by making CM Punk pass out on the STF to punch his ticket to WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas on April 19-20 for a match with Rhodes, the Undisputed WWE champion.

“When you get to a place in your career where you know you undoubtedly have months left on your career and your dream and the thing that launched you to the rest of world, to movie stardom, to everything else he has as in his life, it puts you in a different perspective and it puts you in a place where it’s now or never and you can ride that out and you can rest on the things that you have done and you couldn’t really blame John for doing that (if he did),” Triple H said. …

“Or someone like him can double down and say, ‘screw it I want to be challenged right to the last moment. I want to go out on my shield. I want to give everything I have. I want to challenge myself. I want to do something different. I want to be scared of it. I want to go out there and do it all.’ And that’s the beauty of John Cena.”

Cena remained in the ring after winning the Chamber match as Rhodes came out to give Rock his answer to whether he would be the one selling his soul to “The Final Boss” and be given unlimited riches and fame.

Rhodes, WWE’s top babyface, told The Rock to “go f–k himself” because his soul belongs to the ring and the fans.

The Rhea Ripley problem hanging over WWE’s women’s Elimination Chamber match Cena, who has been a real-life mentor to Rhodes, then shook Rhodes’ hand and hugged him in what appeared to be a celebration of his rejection of The Rock.

Instead, the camera showed Cena’s face turn stern and sour while he looked at Rock.

The Final Boss then made the slit-his-throat motion and Cena then kicked Rhodes low.

“I felt like tonight stood by all of that, the iconic angles,” Rock said.

A vicious beatdown ensued, and Cena punched Rhodes with the gold Rolex Rhodes was gifted by WWE’ Chief Content Officer Triple H and WWE CEO Nick Khan after his championship match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 last year.

The Rock eventually whipped Rhodes with a custom weight belt that had the date of his father Dusty Rhodes’ death on it and rubbed the champ’s blood on it.

Rock acknowledged during the post-show press conference that Scott’s presence will likely lead to the rapper getting into a WWE ring for a match at some point. Scott, whose presence felt Dennis Rodman-like, even slapped Rhodes at one point.

The entire angle tied in Rock’s Bad Blood appearance, his graciousness to Rhodes at Raw’s Netflix premiere and the character shift in Cena after his Royal Rumble loss.

“The one thing I loved about tonight is that it was nowhere, because nobody knew,” Triple H said. “When I say nobody knew, nobody. Right before the finish of the Chamber, I said to the truck ‘everybody lay out, I have all traffic on what’s next’. It was a very tight circle of people.”

WWE will need to give a believable reason for Cena turning heel because he is nearly as famous in Hollywood as The Rock. A silent Cena simply dropped the mic at the post-show press conference.

It could be the fact that Cena hasn’t won a singles match since April 2018 and is running out of time to win world title No. 17.

Either way, WWE has completely flipped the dynamic and added some spice to Cena and Rhodes’ match at WrestleMania.

source: nypost.com

Sports Illustrated: 20 Greatest WWE Wrestlers Of All Time

20 - Becky Lynch

19 - Mick Foley

18 - Chris Jericho

17 - CM Punk

16 - Andre the Giant

15 - Randy Orton

14 - Edge

13 - Rowdy Roddy Piper

12 - Kurt Angle

11 - Macho Man Randy Savage

10 - Bruno Sammartino

9 - Bret Hart

8 - Shawn Michaels

7 - Triple H

6 - The Undertaker

5 - Roman Reigns

4 - John Cena

3 - The Rock

2 - Hulk Hogan

1 - Stone Cold Steve Austin

WWE touts historic numbers for Money in the Bank premium live event

 

WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, today announced that Money In The Bank 2024, which featured the surprise announcement of WWE Superstar John Cena's retirement in 2025, became the highest-grossing WWE arena event in Canada in company history.

In addition to the record-setting weekend, WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtain has amassed more than 2.3 million total viewers since its July 3 debut on WWE’s YouTube channel. The documentary takes viewers behind the scenes of the chaotic build to WrestleMania XL and features interviews with Dwayne Johnson, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque.

"Weekends that bring visitors en masse to our host cities play an important part in our planning process,” said WWE President Nick Khan. “The results are a testament to our Superstars, our creative team led by Paul Levesque, our media & production team led by Lee Fitting and, most importantly, our fans who both attended and created our massive viewership."

Money In The Bank highlights include:

GATE: Money In The Bank 2024 became the highest-grossing WWE arena event in Canada in company history.

ATTENDANCE: More than 45,000 fans attended the four events running Thursday to Sunday, including the debut of WWE Superstar Sami Zayn’s comedy show, Sami Zayn & Friends Do Toronto, in addition to Friday Night SmackDown, Money In The Bank and NXT Heatwave at Scotiabank Arena.

VIEWERSHIP: Saturday’s show became the most-watched Money In The Bank of all time, with viewership up 46 percent from last year’s record-setting number.

JOHN CENA: WWE Superstar John Cena made international news with his announcement that he will retire from in-ring action following The Last Time Is Now John Cena Farewell Tour in 2025.

MERCHANDISE: In partnership with Fanatics, merchandise sales were up from last year’s record-setting number, with the Canadian-themed Money In The Bank briefcase grabbing the top spot as the best-selling item of the weekend.

FAN HOSPITALITY: Money In The Bank weekend set a revenue record for fan experience packages offered by exclusive partner On Location.

SOCIAL: Cena’s retirement announcement amassed more than 65 million social media views in the first 24 hours, making it WWE’s most-viewed social segment since WrestleMania XL.

John Cena Announces Retirement Tour, Wrestlemania 2025 Will Be His Last Match

John Cena has done the unthinkable.

The former 16-time world champion made a surprise appearance at this evening’s Money In The Bank premium live event in Canada, where he received a hero’s welcome. Cena got on the mic and told the WWE Universe that was officially retiring from WWE after two decades. He added that the great Canadian fan base always shows up when wrestling is at its hottest, and WWE is hotter than ever.

Cena then revealed his plan for retirement, stating that he will be at the Raw premiere on Netflix, he’ll compete at the 2025 Royal Rumble, the 2025 Elimination Chamber, and at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. However, those events will be his last, with the indication being that Mania 41 will be his final match. To end his speech, Cena challenged any future WWE superstar to step up to the plate, because “The Last Time Is Now.”

WWE: Next Gen debuts April 1 on Roku

Peacock Pins John Cena’s ‘WWE Evil’ Series

Peacock is diving into the sporting life for a pair of new series. The NBCUniversal streamer has ordered WWE Evil, from creator/exec producer John Cena, along with a multipart docuseries about legendary quarterback Joe Montana.

WWE Evil is described as a “psychological exposé” into the minds of the most diabolical antagonists in WWE history and their impact on mainstream culture. Wrestler-actor Cena is writing the project and also will narrate and exec produce.

Cena has a number of projects in the can or in the works, including playing Peacemaker in James Gunn’s upcoming The Suicide Squad and the DC character’s own eponymous spinoff series at HBO Max. He also is set to star with Idris Elba in Heads of State and opposite Meredith Hagner and Lil Rel Howery in Vacation Friends and also co-hosts TBS’ Wipeout revival.

source:  Deadline.com

John Cena Reaches Out Of Court Settlement In Lawsuit With Ford

John Cena and Ford have reached an out of court settlement, after the motor company sued the former WWE Champion.

In the lawsuit, Ford accused Cena of selling a Ford GT a month after purchasing the $475,000 car, despite the contract stating he had to keep it for two months. 

Cena's defense was that he was unaware of such a clause in the contract. 

The court reports state that Cena paid an undisclosed amount to the company, which will be donated to charity.

In a statement, the Cenation leader stated: 

"I love the Ford GT and apologize to Ford, and encourage others who own the car to respect the contract. I am pleased we could resolve this matter outside of court, and that a worthy charity will benefit from one of the most iconic cars in the world."

Triple H Hits Social Media Milestone

Triple H hit 7 million followers on Twitter, making him the third most followed pro wrestling personality behind only The Rock and John Cena. The top 10 most followed WWE personalities as it stands right now are:

1. The Rock (12.6 million)

2. John Cena (10.9 million)

3. Triple H (7.1 million)

4. Randy Orton (5.8 million)

5. Sheamus 4.8 (million)

6. Steve Austin (4.4 million)

7. Daniel Bryan (4.3 million)

8. Shawn Michaels (3.9 million)

9. Nikki Bella (3.4 million)

10. Chris Jericho (3.4 million)

Roman Reigns is close to cracking the list, sitting at #11 with 3 million followers.

John Cena Writing a Series of Children's Books

WWE Superstar and 16-time World Champion John Cena is reportedly writing a series of children's books, according to Mashable.com.

The first book from Cena is going to be called Elbow Grease, which is about a family of talking monster trucks. Cena gave the following statement about the book:

“With Elbow Grease and the books to follow, I want to offer kids a fun and engaging way to learn about the power of ambition, dedication, and heart.

“These concepts have been transformative in my life, from my childhood up to now, and it’s so important to me to pass the positivity on and help our youngest generation see that right mindset is key to achievement."

Ford Files Lawsuit Against John Cena Over Sale Of Supercar

John Cena is on Ford's $#&% list for allegedly flipping his new $500k '17 Ford GT -- violating a contract with the company -- and they're takin' him to court.

According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Michigan, Cena was "selected from thousands of applicants for the opportunity to purchase the Ford GT."

Ford says Cena signed a deal in which he agreed to hold onto the car for at least 2 years ... prior to unloading it.

However, Ford claims, soon after receiving the car, Cena flipped it for a big profit.

"Mr. Cena has unfairly made a large profit from the unauthorized resale flip of the vehicle, and Ford has suffered additional damages and losses, including, but not limited to, loss of brand value, ambassador activity, and customer goodwill due to the improper sale."

Ford is demanding that Cena hands over all the profit from the sale, as well as other damages.

According to the suit, for his part, Cena told the company he sold the car, along with other property, to pay bills.

Daniel Bryan on Roman Reigns being WWE's next John Cena

WrestleMania 30 was the height of Daniel Bryan's career, as not only was he the most over superstar in the company, but it was in the main event of this show that he defeated Randy Orton and Batista to claim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Many thought this would be the start of Bryan becoming WWE's new John Cena and the top superstar in the company, as it was around this time as well that Cena started to do more feuds with upcoming superstars and more projects outside of the company.

However, WWE didn't go with The King of Beards in the end, as Vince McMahon wanted Roman Reigns to be the next face of the company instead despite fan's reaction to him.

Speaking recently on the E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness, Bryan discussed how he felt when he was first told about WWE's plans to move with Reigns as the next John Cena.

Via StillRealToUs, The SmackDown Live general manager recalled his conversation with Vince McMahon, as the WWE Chairman said to him: “You know, we really want to push Roman to be the next John Cena.”

Bryan said in reply: “Boss, I one hundred percent support that, but I just want you to know that I want to be the next John Cena.”

Daniel Bryan revealed he's not the confrontational type that would say, 'I’m the man. I want you to push me,' but he did reiterate in his conversation with Vince that he would be pushing himself to be the next John Cena of the WWE no matter what.

Bryan said to Vince: “To be honest with you sir, that’s great that you want that for him. I want to be the next John Cena, and I’m going to push myself to be that person.”

Bryan retired from in-ring wrestling in February 2016 due to medical issues and was named as SmackDown Live's general manager not long after, but recently, he has been teasing a return to the ring, whether that's with or not with the WWE.

As for Reigns, WWE is still pushing him as their next face of the company, with him rumored to main event WrestleMania once more next year in New Orleans, which would be his fourth WrestleMania main event in a row.

Triple H on why Roman Reigns shouldn't be turned heel

For years now we have been hearing the same thing be said about Roman Reigns that has been said about John Cena - turn him heel.

Cena has had an extremely successful career in WWE, having won a record-tying 16 World Heavyweight Titles, four Tag Team Championships, five United States Title wins, the 2012 Money In The Ban Ladder Match winner, and two Royal Rumble match wins (2008, 2013). For the past few years, however, Cena has taken a bit of a backseat to the WWE main event picture while he pursues other ventures in film. In his absence a new face has emerged and is being groomed to assume the top spot in WWE - Roman Reigns.

Top 10 Highest Paid WWE Superstars

The highest paid WWE Superstars of 2016 have been revealed by Forbes who used data compiled from WWE’s booking contracts, pay documents, public filings as well as interviews with industry insiders. Below are the top 10.

10: Randy Orton - $1.9 million

9: Seth Rollins - $2 million

8: The Undertaker - $2 million

7: Shane McMahon - $2.2 million

6: AJ Styles - $2.4 million

5: Dean Ambrose - $2.7 million

4: Roman Reigns - $3.5 million

3: Triple H - $ 3.8 million

2: John Cena - $8 million

1: Brock Lesnar - $12 million

Triple H Hits Big Social Media Milestone

Triple H hit a big social media milestone of 5 million Twitter followers today. Triple H's Twitter account has had the fastest rise to 5 million of any wrestlinTriple H hit a big social media milestone of 5 million Twitter followers today. Triple H's Twitter account has had the fastest rise to 5 million of any wrestler, including The Rock, John Cena and Randy Orton. Triple H, who started his Twitter account in February of 2013, is now the 4th most followed star behind The Rock (11.1 million followers), Cena (9.4 million) and Randy Orton (5.2 million).

John Cena On Pabst Blue Ribbon And Pulling His T-Shirt, Working Relationship With WWE, His Brand

John Cena recently spoke with ESPN about the business side of WWE and sports. The full interview is at this link and below are highlights:

WWE owning the trademark to his name and that not being a "complete forfeiture" of his rights:

"I see it as a joint venture. They give me a platform to showcase my brand in nearly 200 countries across the universe. We've become a global cultural phenomenon where people all over the world receive our product and are instantaneously aware of our story lines."

"There's actually a ton of room for individuality and for personally pushing for expansion of what I can be. Dwayne (The Rock) was a pioneer in that space."

Pabst Blue Ribbon telling Cena on Twitter to cease & desist use of a t-shirt that looked like their logo last year:

"We were well within our rights in terms of parody necessary, but we quickly turned around and changed the design within hours. It was pretty much social media suicide for them. What's funny is the brewery ultimately realized our power and actively reached out to establish an open relationship."

Social media success and his ability to drown out the hate:

"I run a successful individual brand. A lot of people chant for me and a lot of people chant against me, but you can't argue with the analytics and the relevance that I have."

Mickie James On If She Asked to Return to WWE, If It Will Be Difficult Working With John Cena, Says Kenny Dykstra Lied About Her to Sell Books

Returning WWE SmackDown Live Superstar Mickie James is the special guest on Lilian Garcia: Making Their Way to the Ring this week, talking about her past and future with WWE, answering whether she requested a return to the company, and much more. Mickie is asked if she wants husband Magnus to join her at WWE and if it will be difficult working with ex-boyfriend John Cena and Nikki Bella, while revealing why she believes Kenny Dykstra lied about their relationship.

Below are some interview highlights:

Mickie says she had been calling WWE in hopes of returning:

I had been doing that. About a year before that I had been doing that a couple of times. I think I talked to you about it a little bit too, and I’m just like, aw maybe they just don’t want me. Maybe it’s not my time kind of thing. It wasn’t until I just kind of let it go and…I’m sitting in Orlando airport, waiting for our flight and [Mark] Carrano calls me and I’m like , are you serious right now? Are you ribbing me?!

If it will be difficult working with John Cena:

We’re all adults, and you know obviously this business is what it is. We’ve all had our share of relationships failed. I think that being adults and being professionals…I would hope that, and I’m pretty sure that it’s going to be pretty awesome, because I’m sure that I’m going to have to work with Nikki in the ring and I know that we could do some really amazing stuff.

Her response to comments Kenny Dykstra made after they parted ways:

As far as that whole thing with Ken it was a shame that he went out and said the things that he did and did that, because I feel that a lot of it was a lie and it was mostly just kind of to help his book sales or whatever the case may be. But you know, it is what it is and you know, I’m a grown up.

John Cena to Host Saturday Night Live

WWE star John Cena will be hosting Saturday Night Live next Saturday, December 10th. Cena becomes the third pro wrestler to host SNL, following Hulk Hogan, The Rock and

Cena commented on the gig with the following Tweet:

"So incredibly honored & excited to host @nbcsnl on Dec. 10th. Can't wait to be live from NYC on a Saturday night!!"

The Brooklyn Brawler Talks Approaching Vince McMahon About John Cena, Turning Down WWE Lawsuit, More

Recently on Talk Is Jericho, the greatest WWE Intercontinental Champion of all time, Chris Jericho, welcomed the ironman of enhancement talents, Steve Lombardi, to the podcast. Lombardi, who also worked behind-the-scenes at WWE, talked about knowing John Cena was going to be a major star very early on. Also, Lombardi, better known as The Brooklyn Brawler, talked about his loyalty to Vince McMahon and the ongoing concussion class action lawsuit lodged against WWE. Finally, Lombardi discussed why WWE is so highly scripted now.

According to Lombardi, who produced the promotional spots for local markets and other videos for WWE, he knew Cena was going to be a star right away.

"I remember Cena came in the room and he didn't come in the room. He was standing around. He had a mohawk. He called himself The Prototype. And, I mean, he was just standing in the back and I said, 'why don't you come in here and cut a promo?. I hear you can talk.' And he starting doing this interview and then he did it in reverse. And then he, like, rewind, kind of deal." Lombardi added, "I went to Vince. I said, 'Vince, we have a ringer.' He goes, 'really?' And then, he [said], 'take him off the dark match and put him on SmackDown.'"

Also, he named MVP and Mr. Kennedy as two other performers he put over to WWE higher-ups.

"A couple of times [Vince has listened]. I put [Cena] over, I put MVP over, I put Kennedy over one time because Kennedy came in and he had some good talent, but he didn't work out, obviously."

Lombardi remains loyal to Vince McMahon despite parting ways with WWE this summer and stated that he would even take the witness stand for WWE in its defense of the continuing concussion litigation if need be.

"This investigator calls me up. He goes, 'apparently, you parted ways with WWE.' He says, 'would you like to join the class action lawsuit for concussions because we're really going after them?' I said, 'I'll join the lawsuit, but it's going to be on Vince's side because your lawsuit is so frivolous. It's stupidity!' He goes, 'why would you say that?' [Lombardi replied] 'Because you're asking me to join the lawsuit and you never asked me if I had a concussion.' I said, 'you're the dumbest man alive.' I said, 'have your attorney call me. I'd love to tell him he's a dumbass too.' Do you know what I mean? He goes, 'you should be bitter!' I said, 'I have no bitterness in me.'"

During the podcast, Lombardi revealed that Roddy Piper would ask him to get WWE brass to let him go off script, but he did not have that type of influence backstage. Lombardi suggested that WWE being so scripted today is due to performers taking liberties and McMahon not being able to trust them.

"It's almost like Vince couldn't trust the guys anymore because some of them took privileges that they shouldn't have [taken]. Do you know what I mean?"

Full Details On WWE Total Divas Returning

WWE announced today that Total Divas will return to E! on Wednesday, November 16th at 8pm EST. E! just issued the following announcement on the sixth season:

LOS ANGELES, CA - October 5, 2016 - E!, WWE(R) and Bunim-Murray Productions' "Total Divas" returns for its fiery sixth season onWednesday, November 16 at 8pm ET/PT. Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Eva Marie, Naomi (Trinity), Natalya (Nattie) and Paige will continue to give viewers an inside glimpse at the non-stop action of their professional careers and the drama of their everyday lives. In addition, season six will introduce fans to WWE Superstars Lana and Maryse and WWE announcer Renee Young.

This season, emotions are at an all-time high as all of the ladies come face-to-face with adversity and must grapple with separating their real life dilemmas from their in-ring careers. While rehabilitating an injury, Nikki Bella is determined to learn an entirely new style of performing in order to make a comeback and, against her sister Brie's wishes, she asks her recently retired brother-in-law Daniel Bryan(R) to coach her. While Brie might not agree with Nikki's decision to train with Daniel, she is plagued with her own difficult decision of retiring atWrestleMania 32 in order to start a family.

Despite how hard she has worked, Eva Marie is left confused about where she stands in her WWE career when she isn't scheduled for any television matches following WrestleMania 32. Now she has to cope with the possibility that her once red-hot career in WWE could be fizzling out. Nattie gets a shot to go for the WWE Women's Championship title, but the crowd doesn't know how to react to her new villain persona after years of being known as the good girl. She has to pull out all the stops to try and save her storyline. While Paige, who is dealing with an injury this season, Eva and Nattie are all going through major challenges with their respective careers, Trinity lands a role in WWE's newest film, The Marine 5: Battleground, where she will star as a biker assassin.

New cast member Lana is in full swing with the planning of her over-the-top circus-themed Malibu wedding to fellow WWE Superstar Rusev(R), but cultural differences within their families start to cause a rift when it's discovered that the nuptials will not be held in his native country of Bulgaria. WWE announcer Renee Young joins this season and takes on the role of mediator as she tries to help the group with their issues in and out of the ring, all while juggling her romantic relationship with WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose(R). Finally, all hell breaks loose when former two-time WWE Divas Champion and wife of WWE Superstar Mike "The Miz(R)" Mizanin, Maryse makes an unexpected return to WWE after a five-year absence. With all of the women longing to stake their claim as the top contender for the Women's Championship, Maryse worries that even as a returning veteran she will have to reestablish herself with the fans and in the locker room. She knows in order to be the top woman in WWE, it's not about being better than you were yesterday; it's about being the best, period.

Season six of E!'s hit "Total Divas" returns on Wednesday, November 16 at 8pm ET/PT. "Total Bellas" E!'s highly anticipated spinoff of "Total Divas" premieres tonight at 8pm ET/PT on E!

More?

John Cena Signs New Entertainment Deal

John Cena continues to make major strides outside of the ring. It was revealed today that Cena has signed a new development deal with Leftfield Entertainment for unscripted TV and online projects. Leftfield Entertainment had produced American Grit on FOX, which was hosted by Cena. Several projects are already under development between Cena and Leftfield, with Cena serving as an executive producer via his Hard Nocks South production banner.

"Whether I'm in the ring for WWE or on a TV or film set, I approach all of my work the same way – with focus, authenticity and total commitment," Cena said in a statement. "I'm eager to bring that same work ethic to the team at Leftfield, and to create new kinds of programming that can inspire and push people to be their best. I'm living proof of what you can accomplish when that happens."

"There's nowhere you can go with John Cena without eliciting respect, pure joy and excitement from everyone he meets," Leftfield Entertainment CEO David George added. "Beyond his physical strength and presence, his humor, strength of character and genuine desire to give back always comes through. That's an inspiring place from which to create entertainment content, so we're extremely proud and happy to be in business with John."