John Cena Pipebomb Shifts Mood on Heel Turn, Mercedes Moné on Fire, More Quick Takes
John Cena wasn't wrong when he said the mood was starting to change during his viral "pipebomb" promo on CM Punk at the end of Friday's SmackDown.
That line could have been interpreted as fans starting to rally behind him again and that a return to his roots as a babyface is imminent. What it should mean, though, is that Cena has finally found his footing in the heel role.
The heel run up to this point has been anything but ideal, but it isn't to too late to turn things around as the veteran seemingly heads into the home stretch with a face turn on the horizon.
Over in All Elite Wrestling, meanwhile, Mercedes Moné finds herself at the apex of her career, challenging for the AEW Women's World Championship at the company's premier pay-per-view All In on July 12 while already in possession of multiple titles.
With The CEO thriving in every respect, a case can be made for her stint in AEW so far eclipsing what she accomplished in WWE, primarily from an in-ring and character standpoint.
This installment of Quick Takes will discuss Moné's current hot streak, the biggest beneficiaries of Liv Morgan's freak injury, Iyo Sky's SummerSlam opponent, and more.
Looking at the Biggest Beneficiaries of Liv Morgan's Injury
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In many ways, Liv Morgan has been the linchpin of the WWE Raw women's scene for the last year-plus with several stories centered around her at any given time.
Of course, the freak injury she endured on last Monday's episode that will reportedly see her sidelined for roughly six months is a big blow and at one of the worst possible times ahead of Evolution and SummerSlam in her home state of New Jersey.
Morgan will have no issue picking up where she left off once she's ready to return, but plenty of pivoting will need to be done immediately on Monday nights to correct course in her absence.
That includes addressing the status of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship she currently holds with Raquel Rodriguez and allowing Roxanne Perez to defend them with her against the reunited Bella Twins at Evolution.
Perez can also continue playing a pivotal role in The Judgment Day's demise with her and Finn Bálor eventually ousting Dominik Mysterio, giving Morgan something to avenge upon getting cleared.
The 31-year-old having to take time off also coincides with the call-up of Stephanie Vaquer, a hot commodity in NXT who has quickly adapted to Raw and gotten over with the audience. It shouldn't be long before she's in the main mix for championship gold and positioned as a focal point.
WWE May Have Just Telegraphed the 2025 King of the Ring Winner
2 of 5One of the advantages of Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Jey Uso and Sami Zayn making up the final four of the 2025 King of the Ring tournament was that it felt genuinely unpredictable who would win the whole thing.
Rhodes vs. Zayn made the most sense to do in the finals at Night of Champions with the two of them being realistic options as world championship contenders at SummerSlam.
Uso is fresh off losing the World Heavyweight Championship and has no business being back in the top title picture on Raw anytime soon, while Orton has already lost to both current champs John Cena and Gunther at various points in the last year.
Despite that, Orton advanced over Zayn on Friday's SmackDown, not only guaranteeing Rhodes will beat Uso on Monday's Raw but also that The American Nightmare will ultimately be King of the Ring.
If Orton vs. Rhodes at Saturday's Night of Champions does come to fruition, it will mark the first time they've gone one-on-one since the latter returned to the company in 2022, but WWE could have just as easily saved it for down the road and run Rhodes vs. Zayn instead.
Rhodes doesn't need the crown following his pinfall win over Cena in tag team action at Money in the Bank, and moving forward with him as the winner of the tourney could lead to more fans resenting his push.
Mercedes Moné Has Officially Hit Her Stride in AEW
3 of 5As Sasha Banks, Mercedes Moné made a name for herself and captured countless championships while with WWE. However, her overall booking never quite matched the star level she had the potential to reach.
Even as a WrestleMania headliner, Moné was never portrayed as being on the same level as her Four Horsewomen counterparts, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. She was consistently slotted at a notch below along with Bayley and was largely underutilized in her final year or so with the company.
That's been far from the case with her run in AEW thus far, having already eclipsed what she accomplished in WWE.
She has been treated like a total star from the moment she arrived in AEW and has yet to endure a single loss. Although her first few months were fairly rough from a promo standpoint, she eventually clicked as a heel and has been the biggest bright spot of the women's division next to Toni Storm.
In holding the AEW TBS Championship for over a year, she's put together a tremendous résumé of matches and seen her stock skyrocket by working in a number of promotions simultaneously. Her vast collection of titles has only added to her aura as well.
Moné has been in the conversation of the best in the world for several years, but now she's finally getting the chance to prove it on a regular basis. Regardless of whether she walks out of All In the new AEW women's world champion, her time in the company up to this point can't be considered anything but a significant success.
Asuka Is Ideal Opponent for Iyo Sky at SummerSlam
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With Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton all but guaranteed for the finals of the King of the Ring tournament, the Queen of the Ring finals are much less certain.
Jade Cargill—assuming she defeats Roxanne Perez on Monday's Raw—would be a logical challenger for Tiffany Stratton at SummerSlam, but Asuka would be the much stronger choice to win Queen of the Ring and earn the opportunity to face Iyo Sky.
The former Damage CTRL stablemates have faced off before in WWE but never for a full-fledged feud. Asuka has only been back for a week, but she hasn't lost a step in the ring and can be a viable threat to a title at any time.
The Raw women's division is deep at the moment, but Sky needs someone established to defend against at SummerSlam, especially with Liv Morgan out injured. Asuka hasn't been involved in the top title picture in nearly two years and is the best possible option WWE can go with on the red brand as soon as this summer.
It isn't imperative Sky loses the title, but it would help to have her back in chase mode for a brief bit and stretch out the storyline.
It Isn't Too Late for John Cena to Save His Heel Turn
5 of 5Many fans justifiably lost faith in John Cena's heel run soon after WrestleMania 41 as a result of his uninspiring promos and lack of creativity regarding his unaltered presentation.
With a babyface turn likely for around SummerSlam, it was easy to give up on the idea that his heel work would ever improve.
In what shouldn't have come as a surprise given their extensive history and incredible chemistry, CM Punk has been the first person this year to truly bring the best out of Cena.
Ahead of their Undisputed WWE Championship clash at Night of Champions, they have delivered some of their most memorable mic work in recent memory.
Cena's "pipebomb" promo in particular on last Friday's SmackDown was a prime example of how well he could do as a heel if he focuses less on the over-the-top elements and more on taking an authentic approach.
Although it wasn't an all-time promo in Cena's career, it did add more excitement to his match with Punk and give the audience a small taste of what he can do with the right material and appropriate delivery.
Fans should now be more willing to give Cena a chance in this role, provided he stays on this path, even after the Punk rivalry runs its course, and does not revert to the stagnant state he was in as a heel before.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
