WWE Rumors on Rhodes-Rock Storyline, John Cena's Heel Turn; Cena Announced for SNME

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Rhodes Reportedly Turned Down Rock's Heel Turn Idea

WWE champion Cody Rhodes reportedly rejected the opportunity to turn heel and align himself with The Rock.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlePurists), The Rock came up with the idea for Rhodes to turn heel and join forces with him once he decided he wasn't going to compete in a match at WrestleMania 41.

Rhodes reportedly turned it down, resulting in WWE pivoting to the second choice, which was the shocking John Cena heel turn.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp confirmed Meltzer's report, and Meltzer added that some people within WWE felt a Rhodes heel turn is the only thing that could have hurt the company.

Cody is arguably more popular with the WWE fanbase than anyone else in the company right now, so turning him heel would have been a highly controversial move.

Cena has been a massive star for the past 20 years, but his WWE appearances have been limited in recent years due to his Hollywood acting commitments.

Because of that, there was a strong argument to be made for a Cena heel turn having the opportunity to succeed, and it will become apparent over the next several weeks if that is the case.

Cena's heel turn was reminiscent of Hulk Hogan turning heel in WCW in 1996, which was an industry-changing move. That decision helped elevate babyfaces such as Sting and eventually Goldberg, and Rhodes will attempt to thrive in a similar role.

WWE Reportedly Changed Timing of Cena's Heel Turn

WWE reportedly called an audible with respect to the timing of Cena's shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber.

According to Meltzer (h/t WrestlePurists), original plans called for Cena to turn heel at WrestleMania 41, but on the day of Elimination Chamber, the decision was made to do it in Toronto instead.

In the main event of Elimination Chamber, Cena outlasted five other Superstars to win the men's Chamber match, earning him a WWE Championship opportunity against Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.

Cena remained in the ring when Rhodes and The Rock made their entrances for the closing segment, which was Cody's decision on The Final Boss' offer.

After Rhodes defiantly turned The Rock down, Cena initially hugged Cody, but it was merely a precursor to him attacking The American Nightmare at The Rock's behest.

Cena, The Rock and rapper Travis Scott all beat down Cody, leaving him a bloody mess in the middle of the ring as Elimination Chamber went off the air.

Had WWE waited until WrestleMania to turn Cena heel, the build would have been significantly different, as both Cena and Rhodes would have been babyfaces.

Turning Cena at WrestleMania would have been reminiscent of the "Stone Cold" Steve Austin turn at WrestleMania 17 when he surprisingly aligned himself with Vince McMahon.

That turn was ultimately not a success, and it is fair to wonder if that fact played a role in WWE's decision to do the turn earlier.

Cena Set to Appear on Saturday Night's Main Event

In a press release sent out by WWE on Friday, it was announced that Cena will appear on the May 24 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event.

WWE announced that it will hold events at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida, on four straight nights from May 24 through May 27, including Saturday Night's Main Event.

The May 24 Saturday Night's Main Event will take place about one month after WrestleMania 41, which will see Cena challenge Rhodes for the WWE Championship.

While Cena appearing on SNME doesn't necessarily spoil the result of WrestleMania, he could show up on May 24 with the WWE title in tow.

Cena is currently a 16-time world champion, which is tied with Ric Flair for the most in major pro wrestling history.

Even before his heel turn, Cena made it clear that winning world title No. 17 was his main goal, and doing it in the main event of WrestleMania 41 would make the moment even more special.

Cena is in the midst of his final year as an in-ring competitor, so every appearance he makes is consequential.

That will be the case on the May 24 Saturday Night's Main Event, and whatever he does on that show could potentially lead to his first major match after WrestleMania 41.

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