At Elimination Chamber on Saturday night, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes turned down The Rock's offer to be his champion by telling the Final Boss, in no uncertain terms, to go f*** himself.
Minutes later, John Cena turned heel in one of the most shocking moments in WWE history. After brutally attacking Rhodes, it became clear that the Leader of the Cenation is in cahoots with The Rock after selling his soul to the devil in a bid to hopefully get a record-breaking 17th world title.
Talking at Elimination Chamber's post-show press conference, the Brahma Bull - talking out of character - addressed Cena's heel turn and what it means for the business.
"It was an amazing moment. We as entertainers, whether in pro wrestling or film or television, you really live for moments like that where you can hopefully create something that can be very compelling and moving for the audience and take 38,000 strong in Toronto and what we have collectively thought about and talked about in the back, before and certainly after this moment, no one knew really what was going to happen."
"Maybe if you called it, but for the most part, I thought the moment was incredible, and I personally love that. I’ve been around the block in terms of being a pro wrestler. I love this business. What I felt tonight, and I’ve been a part of some really phenomenal professional wrestling angles, and as a kid growing up, I’ve seen some amazing pro wrestling angles. I felt like tonight stood beside all of those that were iconic angles."
In related news, Fightful Select reveals that WWE placed the segment with The Rock in the middle of the show on internal run sheets to protect Cena's planned heel turn.
As per usual, The Rock's creative was kept on a "need to know basis," with Cena's role also kept a closely guarded secret as with the rest of the plans for his retirement tour in 2025. Rhodes and Cena were obviously in on the plan as they've known for a while about plans for them to compete at WrestleMania.
You might have spotted a poster on Friday featuring The Rock, Cena, and rapper Travis Scott. According to the site's sources, that was released "100 percent intentional foreshadowing" (there's also chatter about Scott training for an eventual in-ring debut).
Cena has also referenced his heel turn and the fact he broke bad before Grand Theft Auto 6's release. He also shared an image of The Dark Knight's Two-Face, likely a nod to the iconic line, "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."