There were two major problems with the main event of the second night of WrestleMania.
Cody Rhodes, after everything, lost. In front of a crowd that chanted "Let's Go Cena" in its true spirit, "Cena Sucks" only for the sake of it, and as for Cody... well all they cared about was his song; John Cena stood tall with his 17th World Title. The crowd gave him a raucous ovation… but was that desirable? Is that now deniable? And was it always inevitable?
The end of WrestleMania 41 Night Two also felt... disappointing. Because everyone watching—from the stadium to the streams to the doomscrollers online—was waiting for one man to appear. THE ROCK
The build pointed to it. Or rather, the build was centered around it. The story begged for it. And in the end, he wasn't there. Cause he is oh-so-busy.
But here's the thing: HE DIDN'T NEED TO BE.
Music: Ya Know The Kind That Is Instantly Recognized
Picture this: Cody's rallying. Cena's gasping for air. Then—
"IF YA SMELL…"
The stadium ERUPTS. They might love him or hate him, but in that moment, they WANT him, just like they want John Cena to win No.17. For three seconds, they believe. Cody believes. Cena takes advantage. Low blow. Belt shot. 1-2-3!
What happens next? The crowd flips. Not because they hate Cena entirely—but because they feel PLAYED. They realize in that moment what everyone else around the world already knows, that The Rock not appearing at WrestleMania at all is absolute BULLS**T. They didn't get what they wanted, and Cena just handed not only Cody, but the WWE Universe another "you almost had it" moment. The same live crowd that cheered him over what he could never be: until that night, the face of the company that is unanimously loved, one that actually CAN wrestle. Why? Because he doesn't care about them. Because they are like his toxic ex-girlfriend. And because they haven't earned it.
That's right. The Rock doesn't show. The pop dies. And in its place: boos. Real, hot, visceral boos. Not because the fans don't care—but because they care TOO MUCH.
Cena, in this version, doesn't walk back out of the stadium to a chorus of cheers. He walks out with nuclear heat.
Here's Why It Works
Because this finish—MY finish—is a "f**k finish" in both kayfabe AND non-kayfabe terms, much like what we actually got. But from a meta-angle? It's genius. The nature of the "f**k finish" from the non-kayfabe standpoint may be disappointing, but the RIGHT kind of disappointing. Infuriating. Not deflating. Cody gets distracted by something out of his control. He doesn't look like crap. Cena takes the cheap route, not to piss the internet off, but to piss the crowd off.
You use the IDEA of The Rock—something WWE ITSELF has been dangling for months—as the final betrayal. The internet crowd has been dissecting this angle forever. They were convinced Rock was coming. Or about how he shows up WHENEVER HE WANTS. With no respect for anything or anyone. The music plays, and the rug is yanked. That's next-level trolling, and it makes Rock the ultimate META HEEL again. Not just a kayfabe villain. A real-life manipulator of expectations. A corporate god who just reminded you who owns the show. THE FINAL BOSS.
Would the internet still complain? Maybe. Possibly. Probably. We complain about everything.
But we'd also RESPECT the intelligence of it. That's the difference.
What actually happened at Mania? Also a "f**k finish." But one that left people cold. Cena got a pop. Good for him and good for the crowd. Cody looked like the absolute drizzling sh**s, from looking like a MADE MAN after EVERYTHING he has been through and in particular after his phenomenal job at winning the live crowds back mere moments after he began to get booed in both his verbal battles with Cena. And The Rock. Oh, we all know. He didn't even factor in. There was no narrative hit. Just a miss.
In this fantasy version (which I expect will certainly get me hired to the WWE Creative team once Hunter reads it), the crowd's heat is EARNED. Loud, angry, emotional heat in the building. That's where it matters. Not on the internet. And yet, Cena being booed out of the building seconds after that pop... seemingly impossible to achieve in that moment John Cena would win No. 17, especially without The Rock playing a factor, just became a sure shot.
What Was Needed & What We Got...
What did we need? What was desirable and yet seemingly unattainable? A smart, nuclear heel move that got REAL boos in 2025 when fans just witnessed a long-awaited and highly anticipated moment of sports and entertainment history. How? Engineered through expectation, not action. The same expectations that caused John Cena to turn heel. The same expectations that caused him to win his 17th World Championship. The same expectations that caused The Rock to turn heel. The same expectations that caused Cody Rhodes to finish the story. And the same expectations on the part of the company and the fans that sold 200,000 tickets over the weekend in Las Vegas, that drew millions of dollars, and that got billions of views all over the world.
And "what do we get?" What was undesirable but seemingly always undeniable and inevitable, and when the moment arrived, absolutely undisputed. The biggest heel in the industry being cheered unanimously while the biggest babyface in the industry was not just booed throughout the night but made to look like crap at the end of the biggest show of the year. A failure on the part of the company and the fans while the face of the industry got what he did NOT deserve.
The crowd's hate was desirable; the internet's hate obviously was not. The crowd's love, at least in my humble opinion, was NOT desirable, and yet, as the nature of the live crowds is, it is now undeniable.
Reinforcing Not Just Why, But How It Works
MY finish gives you both. Instant fury and long-term intrigue. It protects Cody. It vilifies Cena. And it elevates The Rock—without him ever needing to show up.
Hell, have Raw open the next night with THE ROCK'S music again. Get the pop. Then send out Cena instead. Let the boos rain down. Let the stadium LOSE IT. Let Cena feel the kind of heat you can't manufacture anymore. Not just "respectful dislike"—real, emotional hatred.
If the goal was to ruin wrestling and burn it to the ground to rebuild it in your image? This is how you do it. You EARN that. You fight for that. Not just in threads or reaction videos, but in the VOICES IN THE AIR. That's the magic WWE forgot.
Especially in a story this self-aware, this layered. That reaction in the building? The respect from the internet? After taking the bold risk of not just going a route no one expected, given the seemingly predictable yet stupendous nature of the prospective WrestleMania card months ago but turning John Cena heel in his retirement year. Not just backing yourself into the corner having heel Cena go for No.17 against the biggest babyface since Cena himself in The American Nightmare but navigating through the impulsive and seemingly menopausal midlife crisis-ridden actions of Dwayne Johnson resulting in using his absence to deliver a stroke of brilliance perhaps even The Final Boss's presence couldn't have.
Best of all, when Cena said all we ever care about is "what do we get," John Cena's promise would still have delivered, "YOU GET NOTHING!"
But hey, unless I haven't taken the bumps and travelled the roads and made the towns, I better "shut up and enjoy it", no? "Know my role and shut my mouth?" So much for expectations.
