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Former WWE Champion Will End John Cena's Career?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Tanmay Puri | Last updated May 1, 2025 4:06 PM ET

At WrestleMania 41, John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes to win the Undisputed WWE Championship for a record-setting 17th time. He had unexpected help from an interfering Travis Scott, but now he's laser-focused on being the “last real champion,” planning to take the WWE title with him when he officially retires at the end of the year. But fans already know—only one man can and will stop him. That man is “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes.

The reason is simple: Rhodes is the new top babyface in WWE. No one else embodies a pure babyface character quite like Cody. He is to this generation what Cena was for the past 15 years — the face of the company, the top merch seller, the hero kids cheer for. His loss at WrestleMania 41 isn’t a full stop — it’s just a comma in his story. WWE didn’t invest so much time and energy into building Cody just to make him a one-year top guy.

And Cena? He’s not retiring as a heel. This current villainous run is his way of giving fans the one version of himself they’ve never seen — and always wanted. But there’s no way WWE lets Cena end his two-decade legacy as the ultimate Superman of WWE while wearing the black hat.

From Randy Orton at Backlash to possibly CM Punk and other legendary rivals, Cena may run through a gauntlet of foes during this heel stretch.

But at some point — maybe by SummerSlam or shortly after — in a major twist, Cena will turn babyface again. The most likely scenario? He turns on The Rock. That betrayal would set up one final, emotionally charged match: John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes. And in that match, Cena will drop the title, raise Cody’s hand, and walk away, crowning the next decade’s top babyface in WWE.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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