Yardbarker
x
WWE Unreal Director Predicted Cody Rhodes Would Turn Heel At Elimination Chamber
WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes, speaks to the Bloodline. Dylan Azari / Special to the Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via

The pro wrestling world was flipped upside down at Elimination Chamber this past March, and a moment that was deemed unrealistic by the masses for decades played out in front of millions. There's no more "What If" around the John Cena heel turn.

A kick to the groin from Cena and a strike to the eardrum from Travis Scott later, Rhodes was on the other end of a full blown Cena heel turn. The Rock commanding the assault and standing united with the villainous pair to end the Elimination Chamber broadcast was an absurd sight to behold.

While it seemed like the March 1 PLE was always destined to be a huge night for WWE, some people saw the show ending in a different way.


Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

WWE Unreal's Chris Weaver directed the series and had his own thoughts about how he expected certain stories on WWE TV to unfold. Weaver confirmed that even he didn't find out about Cena turning heel until about 15 minutes before it happened.

He also claimed that he felt Rhodes would be the one to turn heel at Elimination Chamber. Weaver specified that there was no insider information behind the prediction, but that it was a gut feeling.

“I think the most difficult thing is like something like the heel turn, that was so such a big story and had to be kept so secret for them that, you know, that’s like one of the few things we just had no knowledge of whatsoever. So when I found out I was in Toronto for Chamber and it was like I went into Chamber thinking that Cody was going to turn heel that night, and not through them, not, you know, there was no (indication) it was just sort of my hunch and where they were headed with the story."Chris Weaver on Cena's heel turn

In Weaver's interview with Wrestling Republic, he stated how he felt the "breadcrumbs" to Rhodes turning heel had been sprinkled as opposed to Cena. The WWE Unreal director referenced The Rock offering Rhodes' longstanding main event status in exchange for his "soul".

"It just made a lot of sense that he was going to turn heel. Then obviously, you know, he did the thing in New Orleans with Rock and they were sort of setting it up and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s what’s going to happen.’ and we’ve been sort of told ‘this is going to be a big, it’s going to be a big show’, ‘you don’t want to miss it.’ They were giving us some sort of breadcrumbs, but without telling us explicitly."Chris Weaver on Rhodes turning heel

Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rhodes turning heel likely would've led to a retention against Cena at WrestleMania 42 and could've led to the "never-seen seventeen" winning his 17th championship at SummerSlam instead.

Weaver talked about some of the challenges that came with filming WWE Unreal. He used the development of Cena's heel turn as an example to encapsulate what made the show difficult to film sometimes.

"So when I found out like 15 minutes before that it was actually going to happen, I was like, s***, we don’t have- what are we going to do in an access show that we don’t have what I knew was going to be the biggest story of the year now. So that was like an example of a challenge...but these boundaries and challenges create ideas."Chris Weaver on discovering Cena's turn

Rhodes selling his soul to The Rock at Elimination Chamber would've made for absolutely insane television. Seeing Cena try to be super Cena again just as he tried to be in 2021 against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam would've been fun to root for and also would've felt nostalgic for many all around the world.

However, everything happens for a reason. A wrestling imponderable was put to rest for the rest of wrestling history and Cena is 17-time WWE World Champion as a result of his turn.

Rhodes defeated Cena in a Street Fight at Night 2 of SummerSlam this August to become a two-time WWE World Champion.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!