John Cena Sr. shares his opinion on John Cena’s heel turn
“Enjoy what you’re seeing: you’ll never see him in a wrestling ring again”
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The Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.
Contents for The Week in Wrestling:
John Cena Sr. shares his insight on John Cena’s heel turn
An inside look at the past week in wrestling
Critical night for the AEW world title picture
Tweet of the Week
John Cena Sr.: “I get a tear in my eye thinking it’s coming to an end”
John Cena stunned the wrestling world when he turned on Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber.
But the shock of his turn ran deeper. He even surprised his own family, especially his father.
“Talk about a swerve,” said John Cena Sr. “I was pretty well taken aback by that. That’s what makes this business so entertaining–when you think you know, somebody always changes the play.”
As for whether he enjoyed it, there was no hesitation in his approval.
“I most certainly did,” said Cena Sr. “It was very, very well done. I’m a big fan of Cody Rhodes, and I think everyone knows how I feel about John. I can’t wait for their match at WrestleMania.”
Cena flipped the industry upside down when he turned, then 15 days later, he cut a scathing promo justifying his actions. No different from when he was playing Pop Warner football, his father watched his every move.
“He was direct, he was to the point, and he gave us his reason for his actions,” said Cena Sr. “I thought it was extremely well done. I’m still amazed he and WWE kept this all under wraps.”
Cena Sr. is no stranger to WWE programming. He has cut memorable promos defending his son, directing his attack toward those who chanted “Cena sucks”.
Of course, Cena Sr. is protective of his son. He is also incredibly proud, watching with awe as John crafted a legendary career in the ring–and became an inspiration out of it.
“John’s done so much to give back,” said Cena Sr. “There is Make-A-Wish and there is a lot more no one knows about it. I’m very proud of what he’s accomplished and how he’s accomplished it.”
Cena, who turned 80 last spring, remains as active as ever. He is a Justice of the Peace, a long standing fixture on the New England wrestling indie scene as Johnny Fabulous, and an entrepreneur.
He is also a dedicated wrestling fan, first falling in love with it more than a half-century ago while watching Bruno Sammartino battle Killer Kowalski. An encyclopedia for professional wrestling, he has one favorite above all else: his son. Say he is biased all you want, but he’ll happily argue the merits of Cena’s career–which is coming to an end at a rapid speed, with the 16-time WWE champion set to retire from wrestling at the end of the year.
“I get a tear in my eye thinking it’s coming to an end,” said Cena Sr. “I don’t think people really believe it, but I know my son. If he says this is the end, then this is it. We’re only a few months away from the last time we see John in jorts in a wrestling ring. So enjoy what you’re seeing: you’ll never see him in a wrestling ring again.”
This past week…
Rhea Ripley inserted herself into the Iyo Sky-Bianca Belair title match at WrestleMania simply by signing the contract. I know there is an inherent danger to applying logic to pro wrestling, but this storyline has a ton of holes. At least the match should be excellent.
Does Penta’s future include a reign with the IC title?
The finals for the New Japan Cup take place on Thursday in Niigata, with David Finlay squaring off against Shota Umino. The winner gets a title shot against reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hirooki Goto, which leads me to believe Finlay will be the one winning his first New Japan Cup.
Yes, that was Vince McMahon from St. Patrick’s Day.
AEW world title on the line tonight
Jon Moxley defends the AEW world title against Adam Copeland in a street fight later tonight on Dynamite.
Considering it is for the world title, the match is pivotal to AEW’s current story, but it is also a chance to recover a bout that failed to meet expectations at the Revolution pay-per-view earlier this month. Adding the anything-goes street fight stipulation is smart, as it allows both wrestlers more flexibility throughout the match.
Despite his star value, I cannot see Copeland winning. Even though a world title run would add a spark to his run in AEW, it feels like we are going to see Moxley retain and then start a feud with Swerve Strickland.
If that is the case, will Copeland lose cleanly?
That didn’t happen at Revolution. In fact, he didn’t lose at all. Christian inserted himself into the match, making it a triple threat, and he was the one to take the submission loss. Could tonight be the night that “Switchblade” Jay White turns on Copeland? Or could we start to see the beginning of a Copeland heel turn? If that happens, losing cleanly (or as cleanly as possible during a no-DQ match) would make a lot of sense.
Moxley has yet to find the right opponent during his run as champ. His brief interaction with Swerve at Revolution was a positive indicator that the two will work well together. I still would prefer to see Kenny Omega be the one to dethrone Moxley, but Swerve is someone who also embodies the spirit of AEW.
Tonight’s rematch is far more compelling than the original PPV bout. The chance to turn Copeland into a heel is tempting, especially since he could be a top challenger for Swerve after he wins the belt. The tell may be whether Christian appears.
This offers a chance to reboot the world title scene, and it will be fascinating to see if Moxley and Copeland can finally deliver the masterpiece they’ve wanted to create.
Tweet of the Week
Again, this is why the Internet exists.