John Cena Criticised For Making WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Feel 'Less Important'

The 48-year-old turned babyface back in early August ahead of SummerSlam, where he dropped the world title back to Rhodes in the main event. He decided to end his disappointing heel run with just months left on his Farewell Tour before he retires from in-ring competition in December.

Cena hasn't called time on the 'Last Real Champion' gimmick, though, as he is still introduced with the nickname used by ring announcers, Alicia Taylor and Mark Nash, each time he makes an entrance. He had proclaimed he'd be WWE's last real champion at the start of his heel run and ahead of his record-breaking 17th world title win.

Lance Storm has taken aim at Cena for continuing to run the gimmick despite no longer acting as a heel. The former WWE star said (via Wrestling Observer Newsletter): "I didn't like it. I find the Last Real Champion absurd. It was a heel gimmick when he said he was going to ruin wrestling by taking the championship away, so that it would destroy the lineage, ruin the wrestling business, and there would be no more real champions."

The Canadian pointed out that it doesn't make sense to use the moniker without being a champion or a heel: "Now, as a babyface, he's still claiming to be the Last Real Champion. Like, that is completely insane to me. The idea made sense when he was a heel and wanted to ruin the business. But since they're not even acknowledging that he was a heel that tried to ruin the wrestling business, what is the benefit of saying he's the Last Real Champion?"

Storm concluded: "Is Cody not a real champion? I thought Cody was important."

Cody Rhodes has become the face of WWE under the TKO umbrella, the biggest babyface in the company who was the poster boy of WrestleMania 40. He defeated Roman Reigns in the main event to win his first of two WWE Championships.

Cena turned heel on Rhodes in February at Elimination Chamber and started calling out the fans and using the 'Last Real Champion' nickname. It's been over a month since he turned babyface and dropped the title back to The American Nightmare.

John Cena on Whether Cody Rhodes Will Be 'The Greatest Of All Time'

Another nickname John Cena has used during his Farewell Tour has been 'the Greatest of All-Time', which has also been announced by Taylor and Nash on RAW and SmackDown, along with the 'Last Real Champion'. He certainly can lay claim to being amongst the greats of WWE, having held more titles than anybody else.

Cena was asked about Cody Rhodes' credentials in the conversation over being the greatest, and he suggested he still has work to do. He told Pat McAfee after WrestleMania 40 last year: "I believe that Roman Reigns is the greatest of all time. Will Cody Rhodes be the greatest of all time? He’s put himself in a good position."

Those comments came shortly after Rhodes had won the WWE Championship at Mania and "finished the story". He then embarked on a year-long run as champion, appearing weekly on TV and at house shows as the figurehead of the company during somewhat of a boom period.

Cena passed the torch to Rhodes in a sense at SummerSlam after they produced a classic that made up for the mess that ensued at WrestleMania 41. He added, "Going back to what I said about Roman Reigns, that doesn’t mean that Cody Rhodes cannot be the greatest of all time. I think, what’s been done so far, you have to put Roman Reigns in that slot."

Rhodes is in the midst of his second run with the WWE title and will defend the gold against Drew McIntyre at Wrestlepalooza this Saturday (August 20). Cena will also be in action when he faces Brock Lesnar in one of his final matches as a WWE wrestler.