John Cena's Epic Heel Turn and More Hot Takes from WWE Elimination Chamber Match Card
WWE Elimination Chamber was an explosive premium live event offering that turned the road to WrestleMania 41 upside down, thanks to an unforgettable John Cena heel turn that capped off the show and left the pro wrestling and pop culture world buzzing.
Any show with that historically significant a moment, as well as other occurrences with hugely important implications on creative moving forward is bound to elicit hot takes.
In the wake of the latest premium live event in Toronto, find out what those takes are with this recap of the blockbuster show.
John Cena Heel Turn Is The Best Way to Cap Off Iconic WWE Career
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For 20 years, John Cena served as the paragon of good in WWE. He could have easily rolled into 2025, played the hits, won a 17th world title, and rode off into the sunset.
Instead, he underwent a massive change that upended two decades of being the company's resident superhero to align himself with The Rock, selling his soul and turning heel in a moment that is comparable only to the reveal of Hulk Hogan as the third man at the 1996 Bash at the Beach.
It was an option that was far from easy for Cena to make but one that puts an exclamation point in his all-time-great run.
Cena resisted the option to do what was easy by selling a boatload of merchandise, playing to the audience, and leaving as the smiling babyface he is synonymous with. The face that ran the place for well over as decade at his peak, he took on one of the most challenging roles of his WWE career in his final months in professional wrestling.
And he executed it perfectly.
The facial expressions and body language were superbly executed, the result of his time in Hollywood. The look he shot The Rock as he embraced Cody Rhodes prior to beating him down in a bloody, ruthlessly aggressive fashion will be replayed for generations to come.
The way he entered the post-show press conference, looked the media in the eye and dropped a mic before walking out was on-point and kicked off an unpredictable, potentially defining new chapter for one of the greatest to ever lace a pair of, well, Reebok Pumps.
While he will eventually owe the WWE Universe an explanation, one that will likely be a seething, anger-filled rant the likes of which longtime fans have waited for and begged him to make many years ago, everything he did on night one was on-point.
Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley is the Signature Women's WrestleMania Match of 2025
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Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley once had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch as the leaders of the next generation of NXT women to revolutionize the brand.
Not only did they do that, but they forged their own paths, jumping to the main roster and becoming legitimate top-shelf stars in their own right. They won championships, headlined premium live events, covered last year's WWE 2K24 Deluxe Edition video game, and teased a high-profile match-up for the last two years via tense backstage confrontations.
By way of her win in the Elimination Chamber Saturday night in Toronto, Belair cashed her ticket to WrestleMania 41 and a potential showdown with The Eradicator in a match that is the signature women's match at the 2025 event.
While Charlotte Flair returned and won the Royal Rumble, her match with Tiffany Stratton, already announced for the Showcase of the Immortals, feels like an on-the-job test for the latter. Ripley vs. Belair, on the other hand, is a showdown of generational talents who have defined an era of women's wrestling in WWE.
It is a battle between Ripley, who elevated her game to the top of the industry this year as a legitimate main event talent, and Belair, who has already headlined the biggest show of the year and is undefeated at WrestleMania.
That match sells itself and, based on their histories, would likely be among the best on the entire card.
There is a possibility that Iyo Sky ends up in the mix depending on what happens Monday night on Raw when she challenges Mami for the title. If that is the case, another defining Superstar in the history of NXT and women's wrestling as a whole is added to the mix, further elevating the significance of the showdown and strengthening its case for the premier women's match on this year's card.
Why Punk vs. Rollins vs. Reigns is Actually a Great Call For WrestleMania
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On the surface, a potential Triple Threat Match between CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth "Freakin" Rollins appears rather lackluster given the other potential options that existed for those Superstars but a deeper dive provides evidence that it is actually a great call for Las Vegas this April.
First, there are multiple intertwining stories at play.
Rollins' obsession with destroying Reigns and Punk has, arguably, turned him into as toxic a personality as he perceives them to be.
The Tribal Chief has the end of last year's WrestleMania and an entire decade before that to avenge against The Visionary while Punk has a lingering favor from Paul Heyman hanging overhead like a dark, pregnant cloud ready to pop.
Add to it the distrust that exists between Punk and Reigns and the Head of the Table's uncertainty as to what exactly said favor is and you have enough story for any fans to sink their teeth into.
With Rhodes vs. Cena and Uso vs. Gunther already announced and no other clear path towards top-tier match for either of the three genuine main event stars in the proposed three-way dance, what other match could they appear in that would mean as much as working with each other does?
The answer is no other match can provide that level of importance.
Kevin Owens Must Defeat Randy Orton on WWE's Biggest Stage
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Kevin Owens is one of the most intriguing and compelling Superstars in WWE.
He is also absolutely justified in his anger and frustration with his cohorts, but that is another discussion for another time.
As such, it is important to capitalize on his engaging story arc with signature victories. We witnessed one Saturday night in Toronto with his win over Sami Zayn in the unsanctioned match, but that is not nearly enough.
The return of Randy Orton after the match and his attempting punting of Owens suggests that The Viper is up next for The Prizefighter. Assuming that is the direction things take on the road to WrestleMania, the only acceptable outcome is for Owens to win the match and continue his momentous heel run deeper into 2025.
An Orton win gives one of the most decorated and celebrated wrestlers another victory at WrestleMania, but does little for his character. He is still The Apex Predator, still a multiple times world champion, and still incredibly over with fans.
Guess what: he still is all of those things even in defeat.
Orton is bulletproof at this point in his Hall of Fame career. Losing to Owens does nothing to hurt him while lending further legitimacy to his opponent and his quest for vindication as one of the most despicable heels in the company.
Owens is too gifted a performer, not to mention a genuinely detestable bad guy, to lose another big match to another top-tier Superstar for whom that win does nothing for.
WWE Women's Division Badly Needs Jade Cargill vs. Naomi Feud<br>
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The women's division in WWE badly needs the impending feud between Jade Cargill and Naomi.
Too often, the feuds that have defined the division over the last year have been title-centered or featured the same handful of stars. Sure, the company introduced new midcard titles for the division, but even then, the few additional stories introduced revolved around titles and tournaments for them rather than a good, old-fashioned personal vendetta.
Enter Cargill vs. Naomi, which has the potential to play out at WrestleMania and remind both the fans and creative team that two women can captivate the audience without a championship present.
Look no further than Saturday's show, when the fans erupted as Cargill marched to the squared circle and brutally attacked Naomi, paying her back for what we were led to believe was the former tag team champion's involvement in her sneak attack last November that left The Storm sidelined.
If the story is strong and the fans have something (or someone) to invest in, they will react accordingly, regardless of whether there is a championship in play or not.
It is something that Triple H and the WWE Creative team should keep in mind moving beyond WrestleMania season because there is an entire roster of talented women's wrestlers waiting to make an impact on Raw and SmackDown, but handcuffed by management's reliance on titles to drive story.
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