In the Saturday night WWE Elimination Chamber: Toronto prime event, John Cena made a dramatic heel turn, aligning himself with The Rock after securing a victory in the 2025 men’s Elimination Chamber match.
Post-match, Cena and The Rock, along with Travis Scott, launched a surprise attack on Cody Rhodes when the “American Nightmare” rejected an offer from “The Final Boss”.
As previously noted on eWn, WWE went to great lengths to keep Cena’s unexpected shift concealed, such as strategically positioning the Rhodes/Rock segment third on the internal list, despite plans to conclude the show with it.
While Cena and Rhodes were aware of their imminent face-off at WWE WrestleMania 41, the future participation of The Rock in WrestleMania 41 remains uncertain after the Elimination Chamber: Toronto event.
The reputable Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated “the initial scheme had been to save Cena’s heel turn with The Rock for the climax of WrestleMania. The idea was to act on it on this show, once they had made up their minds during the day, obviously implying it had to be the closing segment.”
The report additionally pointed out that some prominent figures within WWE could be going against their own teammates, implying the heel turn was always meant to happen as it did.
However, it was also stressed that “several key individuals were informed that it was an eleventh-hour alteration.”