MR. TITO: Told Ya So – John Cena Just BURIED Cody Rhodes at the London WWE Monday Night RAW
On March 25th, 2025, I wrote a column titled “Blame Cody Rhodes for the LACK of Wrestlemania 41 Hype”… I honestly wrote it because I’ve been sick and tired of online wrestling fans badmouthing the Wrestlemania 41 hype as if it’s Triple H or the Rock’s fault entirely for Wrestlemania 41 not feeling massive like Wrestlemania 40. It’s as if selling 50,000 overpriced tickets is considered a bad thing or something…
But my column was about Cody Rhodes, whom in my opinion, has been given extremely favorable booking upon his WWE return during 2022 in the form of defeating Seth Rollins repeatedly, headlining 2 Wrestlemanias against the #1 star Roman Reigns, winning 2 straight Royal Rumbles (while others have to suffer winning the Elimination Chamber), feuding with Brock Lesnar for months, getting to feud with and wrestle the Rock, and now receiving a John Cena feud where he’s been turned heel.
However, as I further described in that column, if you take all of that away like we saw following Wrestlemania 40 with the Spring and Summer of 2024, Cody doesn’t appear to be as strong of a draw. Viewership and ticket numbers dipped for Cody versus AJ Styles, Logan Paul, or Solo Sikoa. Take away the spotlight brought to him by Brock, Roman, and the Rock, his star doesn’t shine so bright. Having him headline yet another Wrestlemania seems to be a mistake, especially with bigger stars on the roster that could headline the second night instead (Roman and Punk, in particular).
Bring up these exact facts and what kind of response do I see? Attacks on me personally and calls to NoDQ’s webmaster to have me deleted as a columnist. Seriously, that happened and the posted tweets are there for you all to see.
As I’ve articulated many times… Cody entered the perfect storm to perfectly climb the WWE ladder to the championship. He rejected AEW as an Executive Vice President, and WWE fans love that. He’s the son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes who was denied winning the WWE Title for his career. He’s a nice guy, always been friendly with co-workers and fans and many have felt bad for him being stuck with the “Stardust” gimmick. That walked right into the PEAK Roman Reigns as a heel with a Bloodline gimmick that was on absolute fire through late 2022 and into early 2023. Go watch the end of Royal Rumble 2023, as that ending segment was lit and defined what Cody got to inherit a few months later.
Over 2 years ago on February 9th, 2023, I spoke about my worries of Cody Rhodes winning the WWE Title at Wrestlemania 39 (which he didn’t) as he wouldn’t have anything else to prove for himself or his family. His drawing power was in the CHASE and not so much being champion and I was proven that further when he kept on chasing the title during 2023 with Brock Lesnar in his way and then the online fans, who wanted him to “finish his story”, went nuclear when the WWE undid the Rock vs. Roman match for Wrestlemania 40.
And now, the next evidence has been presented and the DEFENSE RESTS, folks. John Cena just SMOKED Cody Rhodes in a debate of words during today’s WWE Monday Night RAW from London (3/31/2025). Completely COOKED Cody, and even John Cena alluded to the word that I’ve commonly associated wrestlers who were humiliated on live television: BURIED. John Cena did indeed bury Cody Rhodes with a MORE AUTHENTIC sounding promo that presented CREDIBLE critiques on Cody Rhodes such as Cody resembling the fans too much and mocking the tattoo on his neck in addition to leaving the WWE instead of staying there to fight management.
Cody’s responses? Bring up Vince McMahon and call Cena a “piece of sh**” while conveying the same robotic expressions and tone like his other promos. As if he was reading directly from a script and not speaking from the heart.
John Cena DESTROYED Cody Rhodes today inside the ring, and that follows 2 straight weeks of Cody not viciously attacking John Cena for attacking him at Elimination Chamber (agreeing with Stevie Richards on that point). Shame on WWE Creative for that, but it’s not like Cody’s past 2 weeks of promos were exciting or anything.
Did you listen to that London crowd to night at RAW? They flipped from hating on Cena and heavily rooting for Cody, to beginning to cheer for Cena after he DESTROYED Cody Rhodes on the microphone. That’s MASSIVE… Fans witness a burial and someone, like the great Rob Garrison once said in the first Karate Kid, should get Cody a body bag, yeah!!!
But let me go further…
My brother from a different mother Virtue made a great point a week back about WWE Merchandise sales. If Cody Rhodes is truly a top drawing babyface, then why isn’t his merchandise moving like a top drawing babyface? We’ve seen Jey Uso on the list along with Roman Reigns repeatedly. John Cena’s retirement tour stuff is selling bigtime and maybe even moreso as a “sellout” heel. But where’s Cody’s merchandise?
I did a scan for multiple reports between 2024 and 2025 for various wrestling news sites who reported on Top 5 and Top 10 items sold by WWE’s online shop. NOT ONCE did any of Cody’s merchandise appear on those lists during his WWE Title reigns. NOT ONCE… Lots of Roman, Jey Uso, even one appearance each by LA Knight and Jimmy Uso, lots of Samoan Werewolf Jacob Fatu shirts sold, Cena retirement shirts, Randy Orton, Rhea Ripley, and a few others… NOT ONCE did I spot Cody Rhodes on the TOP WWE Merchandise charts for any given week.
John Cena was the #1 merchandise seller in the WWE through 2018, 3 years after he stopped being a full-time wrestler. Anytime John Cena missed a houseshow, WWE offered refunds to any paying customer because John wasn’t there. THAT is a draw.
As I said recently in my latest ASK TITO column posted during the weekend, Cody Rhodes is like Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys. Give him a great offensive line and all-pros at running back, tight end, and at wide receiver, he looks like a superstar quarterback worthy of $40 or $50 million contracts. But as seen in recent years with a deteriorating offensive line, terrible running backs, no tight ends, and only 1 good receiver, he looks extremely average. That was Cody Rhodes in the WWE before he left during the mid-2010s, Cody during his AEW tenure, and Cody feuding with AJ Styles, Logan Paul, and Solo Sikoa during the Spring/Summer of 2024.
I’ve done nothing but spit facts, Cody Crybabies. Ya gonna tell Aaron to delete me or you’ll unfollow us?
Just listen to what John Cena said that are 100% true about Cody today on RAW from London:
“I worked to hard to have that belt paraded by a paint-by-numbers, nepo-baby”
“He had his wrestling gimmick tattooed for the world to see. It’s not where your tattoo is at, Cody, it’s what your tattoo is that exposed you to the world for what you are, a common fan like them.”
“I make empires for billionaires, all you’ve ever done was steal from their kids”
“You’ve been protected long enough”
“I don’t bury talent, I am talent, I bury mediocrity”
“All you have done here has ride the coattails of my success”
Go watch the promo… Watch the words delivered, but HOW they are delivered by Cena. Watch who is the more convincing actor between the two and which one appears more scripted. Then, see who gets to be physical with the other. Took Cody THREE episodes of RAW to finally get physical with John Cena after Cena mauled him at Elimination Chamber 2025.
I could easily blame WWE Creative for making Cody look like a chump for 3 straight weeks, but that would discount the HELP WWE Creative has provided Cody since Wrestlemania 38 during 2022. Again, defeating Roman, Rollins, and Lesnar while winning 2 Royal Rumbles and being THE MAN to defeat Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 40. He was among one of the 2 wrestlers who got to headline BOTH nights of Wrestlemania, too, along with working with the Rock. WWE Creative has been WAY TOO NICE to Cody.
John Cena didn’t have protective booking… He was ALMOST FIRED during late 2002 because his character was struggling to attach itself with fans. Then, in one fate moment, Stephanie McMahon heard John Cena rapping on the back of the bus and that gave Cena a character instead of some random jacked guy in randomly colored tights each time he wrestled. Cena was a heel for a good portion of 2003 but then fans organically changed Cena into a babyface. From 2004 through 2014, John Cena was the company’s biggest star, by a margin, and crushed it on merchandise and houseshow tickets. Vince McMahon didn’t make that, he accepted that.
Cody Rhodes was “made” by WWE Creative for the extremely favorable booking that he received since 2022 along with having 3 things in his favor to gain sympathy: (1) rejected AEW as EVP, (2) son of Dusty Rhodes, and (3) fans are sympathetic on how his previous WWE run ended with Stardust. It’s been 3 years since he left AEW, so that sympathy is gone… He achieved the WWE Title, something that Dusty never won, so that sympathy is also gone. His previous run was over 10 years ago and by winning the WWE Title, that erases his past legacy.
The FACT is that ticket sales for Wrestlemania 41 weren’t moving like WWE wanted, so they changed plans and convinced John Cena to turn HEEL and be a heel for the first time since 2003. Feels like Wrestlemania 32 when Triple H vs. Roman Reigns wasn’t selling tickets in Dallas, TX, so they booked Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker in a cage match to spike interest (and it freakin’ worked).
Problem now, though, is that Cody Rhodes has to compete on the mic with inferior skills against one of the best talkers ever with John Cena who has been performing as an actor for the past 10 years.
Cena BURIED Cody for real today in London for Monday Night RAW. A real pro just shredded a weaker talker and personality.
And once again, I TOLD YOU SO…
But, you can get away with Cody remaining WWE Champion for a little longer as long as he’s fed great star opponents. For example, if Cody escaped Wrestlemania 41 as WWE Champion and feuds with CM Punk, they’ll pack houses because Cody is dancing with yet another top stars. Maybe Randy Orton presents him with a strong feud, too. If Cody feuds with Jacob Fatu after Wrestlemania 41, I would venture to suggest that many adult fans will root for the Samoan Werewolf to take the title from him.
If he has another Spring/Summer like he did during 2024 in working with weaker drawing opponents, I could see more fans turning on him and viewership/attendance numbers dipping a tad (especially at those high prices and with the economy).
It would be wise to keep Cody away from Cena for the next few weeks, or else the Las Vegas fans will root for John Cena to destroy Cody at Wrestlemania 41. This European Trip has made John Cena into a stronger superstar and made Cody Rhodes look that much inferior to the upper echelon of true top WWE draws.
Told you so, once again.
Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ