John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes: Upon Further Review

With all due respect to a certain columnist who calls himself “Excellence” as well as the thousands of John Cena fans now proclaiming he “buried Cody,” I’d like to tone down the hyperbole. And just like the “WrestleMania has no build” bullcrap, I want to emphasize that we finally have a babyface on the mic who held his own with Cena.

This was the promo we had waited a long time for during this buildup.

But first, I want to address some things that have been brought up—because, like any rant from Skip Bayless, this all needs to be examined upon further review.

### BUT CODY GOT FAVORABLE BOOKING

Yes, he did, and so did every other major star who entered WWE on their way to greatness. What did you expect them to do?

Bury Cody after wooing him and giving him Stardust again?

Have him come out as the Gobbledy Gooker?

Wait, I know… he should come out wearing just polka dots and dance around like a “jive turkey.”

Cody did the near impossible—he bet on himself, helped create AEW from nothing, and came back a bigger name and more polished. WWE chose him and negotiated against AEW to get his services. He was the one in control.

How many wrestlers left WWE (post-WCW) and never came back or had to start from the bottom?

How many, when they did return, failed to make an impact or stayed stuck in mid-card land because fans didn’t care?

Cody was chosen by the fans. I love the dig he made: “They chose me” versus “One guy in the office chose you.”

Mr. Tito fails to mention that John Cena’s first title run was… not great. And unlike Cena, Cody wasn’t fed a lot of mid-card guys or part-timers during his first year as champion. Here’s a list of John Cena’s first-year opponents as champion:

– Rematch with JBL at *Judgment Day*
– Feud with Eric Bischoff’s handpicked Christian and Chris Jericho
– Kurt Angle until *Survivor Series*
– Carlito at *New Year’s Revolution*
– Edge at *Royal Rumble*
– Triple H at *WrestleMania*

And despite being the babyface… CENA GOT BOOED IN EVERY FEUD! You could have marched Satan out there against Cena, and the crowd still would have booed him because he was just corny.

### CODY DIDN’T HAVE A GREAT TITLE RUN AND COULDN’T ELEVATE ANYONE

Compare Cena’s first world title run to Cody’s and tell me again who had the better competition. Even the biggest Cody hater would have to look at Cena’s first run and say, “Damn, that’s an impressive lineup.”

If Cody entered the “perfect storm” to climb the WWE ladder, he entered a monsoon after his *WrestleMania* win. Everything that could go wrong did: Roman went on hiatus, Rock went back to Hollywood, Rollins and CM Punk were injured, Lesnar was in purgatory, and Lashley was on his way out.

As I’ve pointed out before, WWE creative basically went on cruise control and decided, “Let’s just do an opponent-of-the-month club and throw stuff against the wall.” Cody got saddled with:
– AJ Styles, fresh off losing his last two feuds (to Roman Reigns and LA Knight)
– Logan Paul, still a part-timer
– Kevin Owens
– A one-off, no-build feud with Gunther
– Solo Sikoa
– Back to Kevin Owens (who, to his credit, did great heel work)
– And now Cena

Go back to all the great WWE champions. After they won the title, there was always a ready-made feud or a big heel on the horizon—Austin vs. Vince McMahon, Rock vs. Austin, Angle vs. Rock, Cena vs. Jericho, Hogan vs. Piper. All these babyfaces had a major villain to challenge them.

What Cody did with his lineup was impressive as hell, and to suggest otherwise shows that you either don’t understand wrestling or just hate John Cena.

### JOHN CENA JUST COOKED AND SMOKED CODY RHODES

Mr. Tito must have watched the first Cena vs. Roman Reigns promo because saying Cody got cooked is… WAY OFF BASE.

Then again, Mr. Tito comparing Cody Rhodes to Dak Prescott (a guy who never wins in the playoffs) confirms my suspicion that Tito is a Commanders fan.

I bet he’s already declared Jayden Daniels a top-five QB and predicted Washington will win the Super Bowl in 2027.

I love a good John Cena promo, but at times, his style can be cartoonish—pacing the ring, yelling a lot, getting overly animated, and being given too much freedom. Take out the word “brother,” and he can be very Hulk Hogan-esque, which is why critics once called him “Hogan 2.0.”

Against some opponents, Cena has made them look horrible (see pre-Bloodline Roman and Austin Theory). Theory, in particular, got murdered and had his career torpedoed after their mic battle before WrestleMania.

Cody’s responses, however, matched who he is. He did a great job.

His critics don’t seem to understand that Cody is the anti-Hogan/Cena—he looks, acts, and behaves like a superhero, a pitchman for merchandise who will wear anything and everything to remind us it’s on sale for $29.99.

Cody has had to CARRY this feud with tons of restrictions due to Cena’s final tour. Since Cena announced his last year, my fear was confirmed: they are limiting how much he does in the ring.

At this point, WWE creative must run everything by Matchbox movie insurance carriers and Cena’s management before he gets physical. That’s the problem with being in Hollywood—if you get hurt and production halts, it’s on you.

Cody’s promo was all about composure. He didn’t flinch as Cena threw bombs. He called Cena a company creation.

– That everyone feared him on the mic, but he didn’t.
– That he had more dick on the mic than Cena did in his jorts.
– That he was the one hanging out with Zac Efron, wishing he was 16.
– That he created disenfranchised fans who left WWE.
– That he didn’t leave WWE better than when he found it.

By the way, for those saying “Cody doesn’t sell merchandise,” Sports Illustrated reported that WWE’s top-selling merch in 2024 belonged to Cody Rhodes. But sure, let’s trust (checks notes) “Brother from Another Mother” or someone from WON.

Cody is more like Bret Hart on the mic than Hulk Hogan. He won’t scream or get wildly animated—he’s crisp, forthcoming, and passionate without being cartoony.

This promo between Cena and Cody proved that WWE is in good hands with Rhodes. He may not be Hogan or Rock, but that’s fine. Those guys are like Patrick Mahomes—once-in-a-generation talents.

For those saying Cody lost and got cooked, I’d like to remind you that sometimes, the truth is more grounded. Just like Cody’s promo.

To listen to interviews from fighters, sports reporters, and more, check out the website at www.LastCallPodcast.com or follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LastCallwChrisC.