WWE’s Cody Rhodes Takes Down John Cena in Uncensored Throwdown

John Cena and Cody Rhodes have faced off for the past several weeks on WWE Raw, but today’s clash was different. This time both superstars took the gloves off and went to battle, both on the microphone and in the ring, and there was one clear winner. That would be Rhodes, who brought the heat to Cena with references to Vince McMahon’s absence and difficult moments in AEW and delivered it all uncensored by Netflix. Rhodes would even take Cena down literally as well, hitting him with a CrossRhodes after finally getting under Cena’s skin. This was exactly what Rhodes needed to even the score, but this also might spell disaster for Cody Rhodes fans at WrestleMania 41.

Rhodes decided to pull an 8 Mile and deliver a host of self-critiques, bringing up his lisp, referring to Stardust, and the fact that he got booed at a company he created. Rhodes then told Cena he had lied to the audience, as during their time riding together early in Rhodes’ career, it was always clear that Cena loved the fans. Rhodes then asked to explain the real reason he was doing all this, and Cena came back swinging.

“I’m not going to reduce myself and punch down to your level, just to protect you Cody Rhodes, you’ve been protected long enough. I’m not going to cook you, I’m going to bury you, just like I buried everyone else. They have been saying for years that John Cena buries talent. I don’t bury talent. I am talent. I bury mediocrity. I don’t give a rat’s ass about your lisp, or your failures. You have manipulated your way to the top of this business, and your ego outmatches your ability,” Rhodes said.

“All you have done is ride the coattails of my success. They can hand the heartbeat of this organization to my chauffeur. Cody is nothing more than my chauffeur. A slimy pickpocket just thinks because he stole the blueprint means he can run the kingdom,” Cena said. “You sat by my side for years and stole every secret you need to be undeniable, and you are still underwhelming. I tried to fill it into you, you had to be authentic because they can see through phony. You’re too polished. You’re too rehearsed. You rely on lazy gimmicks like them singing your name over and over again to get by.”

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“Cody Rhodes does not look like me. He doesn’t act like me and he sure as hell doesn’t work like me. After all these years you are still afraid to show who you are. So what do we get instead? A generic mix of every superstar he’s ever loved in some big confused blob,” Cena said. Cena then hit Rhodes with a few more verbal jabs, calling him a Nepo Baby and calling out his tattoo before telling him that this was all the “why” he turned on the fans.

Rhodes wasn’t going to take that lying down, and this led to Rhodes taking a vicious shot at Cena by referring to Vince McMahon. “Maybe I was chosen, but you know who chose me? They chose me. Can you say the same Cena? It was one guy that chose you who’s not here anymore and we don’t talk about.”

“Everyone’s so terrified of you on the mic. I’m not,” Rhodes said. “You have more d*** in your promo than you do in your jorts.” Rhodes then said that Cena was the one who paved the way for him to be chosen by the fans, as Cena “created a lot of disenfranchised fans” along the way. Rhodes then brought up Cena selling out to the Rock, and then Rhodes called Cena “a piece of s***”.

Cena recalled how everyone always took their best shot at him and he was never protected from taking that shot. Then he threw a haymaker, saying, “I made money for billionaires, all you ever did was steal money from their kids”, obviously referencing Tony Khan in AEW. This might have been the best shot of the promo, but then Rhodes hit with a haymaker of his own, saying, “Never in my time here have they chanted ‘you can’t wrestle’ That line got under Cena’s skin and he came back in for a fight, but he smiled and then turned to leave. Cena doubled back though, only to get caught by Rhodes and hit with a CrossRhodes, leaving Cena knocked out on the mat.

This battle was exactly what the feud needed, but here’s why it might spell disaster for those who hope to see Rhodes continue his Championship reign. No one is better positioned as a face right now than Rhodes, so if anyone can be the one to take down heel Cena at WrestleMania it’s him. That said, unless Cena gets some real vicious payback before WrestleMania, this could mean that Cena has a real shot to walk away with the Championship, ending Rhodes’ run as Champ sooner than expected.

There’s real momentum building here to a Cena win, and while this heel run has been rather uneven overall, WWE is starting to get the idea across that Cena has a real chance of ending Rhodes’ Championship era prematurely.

What did you think of their face-off, and who do you think will win at WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments and you can talk all things wrestling with me on BlueSky @knightofoa!