I'm mostly pleased with John Cena's post-heel-turn promo. The Cena character hasn't fundamentally changed, as I feared he might. Instead, he's playing a man who's had a revelation. He's fed up with the fans' response to him, and he's letting out decades-worth of pent-up frustration. He still lives "Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect" (as far as he's concerned), still wears jorts, and still comes out to the same music. There's only the slightest pivot that makes him a heel, despite starting his promo with "I'm not a babyface, I'm not a heel, I'm a human being".

That pivot comes in the form of victimizing himself. He stated that he's been the victim of a toxic, dysfunctional relationship with the fans for the past twenty years. What gives his words some weight is that they aren't exactly untrue. No matter what he did, no matter how much better he got in the ring, no matter how good he was on the mic, there were those who chanted "Cena sucks!" and actively wished him harm.

A lot of fans today simply don't have the consciousness of those fans who lived through the height of Cena's dominance.

The fandom was far more toxic than it is today, and Cena resided at the center of that toxicity. He was used by Vince McMahon as a cudgel, beating his greatness into the heads of the fans regardless of whether or not the fans liked it. This is where we got the once popular phrase, "shoved down our throats". He was viewed as holding back younger, superior in-ring talent, relentlessly winning despite "not deserving" the top guy spotlight, possessing only "five moves of doom".

It's not too difficult to see how Cena's relentless winning, his do-gooder status, and his PG-Era stardom crushed the spirits of many fans week after week. These fans made Cena the symbol of all that was wrong with WWE, John becoming their emotional pin cushion. What made those fans even more frustrated was how unflappable John Cena was. Their boos did not seem to register, negated by John's confidence and code of conduct. Now, with his latest promo on RAW, we are discovering that those boos did have an effect.

While I enjoyed Cena's promo there are two aspects of it that give me pause.

One, is it plausible that Cena would be so mad at the fans that he'd side with The Rock, and attack Cody Rhodes so viciously? There's a slight disconnect between that act of violence and the reason behind it. Does Cena view Rhodes as the embodiment of the fans who booed him for twenty years? Is he jealous of Rhodes' success in WWE? Rhodes has done "all the right things" to become a beloved wrestler in the modern era, after all. Perhaps that's what gets under John's skin.

He didn't state as much, though, so the act of violence against Cody is not intrinsically related to Cena's motivation for "expressing his humanity" and turning heel. He attacked Cody because that was the mechanism for shifting the character's moral alignment. It's an act that exists in isolation, rather than being intimately connected to the motives of a character. If it sounds like I'm being nitpicky here, it's because the idea of John Cena turning heel is large enough to merit extra scrutiny. My hope, in providing this constructive criticism, is that WWE will, in the weeks remaining before WrestleMania, continue to flesh out John's character. Let's see him sit down with Michael Cole, who called Cena a "prick" after his promo, and find out more about his specific disdain for Cody Rhodes. If we learn that, it will retroactively make his attack on Rhodes make sense in the context of him "breaking up" with the toxic fanbase.

End that interview with John violently attacking Cole, earning a suspension or a fine in the process. I can think of no better symbolic representation of the Cena-era than once universally despised Cena, dismantling the once universally despised Cole. Remember, Cole is perhaps the only character as reviled as Cena in recent memory. And, like Cena, he hung around long enough, pushed through the disdain, and demonstrated that he's actually good at the job before being embraced as a GOAT. Cole must pay for that "prick" comment. I hope for an uncomfortably violent scene as bully-Cena makes the commentator bleed.

Two, when it came time to chastise the fans who always stood by Cena, I did not believe him. His performance was simply not as good because he was straining to come up with a good reason. The truth is, there is no good reason to turn against those fans. Given that's the case, this version of Cena should have just not acknowledged that contingent of the community at all or, like Bret Hart's heel in America/babyface in Canada gimmick, he should still embrace his supporters.

I'm reminded of CM Punk's initial pipe bomb promo where he said, "And those of you who are cheering me right now, you're as big a part of me leaving as anything else". That was convincing because it was said with appropriate vitriol and it had a very clear reason behind it. It's a clever heel tactic to lump the goods and the bads together, and to then find specific fault with the goods in a way that makes them somehow worse than the bads. I don't think Cena found a convincing justification. It's because all they do is "take"? Perhaps my hesitation to accept this part of his reasoning is due to the fact that I've heard him talk in glowing, sincere terms about his supporters for twenty years. He'd have to possess some real, inspired disdain for those fans if he was going to convincingly toss them in the same bin as the bads. In the end, he summed up his supporters as people partaking in the same toxic process.

Cody Rhodes interrupted Cena's promo to cut a short but convincing response, "I want the real John Cena at WrestleMania, not this whinny bitch". While cursing has become a far too easy way to elicit a response in WWE, this felt earned. I was hoping for a Cena-retort but he simply dropped the mic and walked out, essentially proving Rhodes’ right.

A dissertation could be written about John Cena, but I've got the rest of the show I need to cover so even though I could go on, I'll try my best to transition smoothly. I will reiterate that Cena must target Cole and "hurt" him so bad that Cole's off RAW-commentary for weeks and only returns at WrestleMania. I will also add that WWE must not forget the fact that John is chasing his seventeenth World Championship. That's as integral a part of his story as his relationship with the fandom. So move thoughtfully forward, WWE, using what you've already established, pushing the boundaries of this character.

The midcard got better treatment this week embodied in Ludwig Kaiser vs Penta in a very good match.

Cathy Kelly met Penta on the entrance ramp as he was leaving (another fresh use of space) and he proclaimed his interest in Bron Breaker's Intercontinental Championship. Just another in a series of intelligent booking decisions with the Penta character. In him is a potentially vibrant midcard to build around.

Next, we got the (say it with me) “obligatory Judgment Day backstage segment”. At least this week their "clubhouse" was spray painted, which added some visual flair. The segment played out like every other Judgement Day segment. First, Finn is thanking Dom for getting him an IC Title opportunity before becoming incensed that Dom suggest they allow Penta to join their group. Finn called Dom a snake and stormed out. Then Carlito appeared with his weekly one-liner to Dom, "You don't watch the show, do you?"

I've made my peace with the fact that this group will never break up despite their failures. They are locked in some odd circle of hell, a Severance-like existence where they cannot make any discernible progress.

Dokota Kai then faced Ivy Nile in a serviceable albeit forgettable match. We have no idea who she is, only that she's a good wrestler who kicks a lot. Nile, physically imposing as she is, comes off as a loser aligned with losers.

The contract signing for the WrestleMania Women's World Championship match was marginally better than last week's segment. Rhea was a welcome addition, powerbombing Io into Belair on a table before signing her name on the contract, further setting up a triple threat match at Mania. This scene spilled over into the backstage where Rhea gave the contract back to Adam Pearce and then fought off Bianca and Io. While the destination is clear (and potentially great) the journey of this story is clearly lacking. There are no personal stakes beyond being a champion - very little in the way of earnest character development. The match will be great, but my expectations for how these segments and promos play are very low.

Seth Rollins then appeared as little more than a cheerleader, stating that he'll be in attendance at Friday SmackDown to confront Roman Reigns and CM Punk.

As much as I consistently acknowledge WWE's shortcomings, it's only fair to turn that critical lens at myself and admit when my criticisms might be slightly off or downright incorrect.

I was wrong to assume Bron Breaker and Finn Balor couldn't possibly tell a good story. Their match was concise but effective, the drama of The Judgement Day falling to pieces heightening the entire experience. For a moment, I sensed a possible babyface turn for Balor. It would be exceptionally satisfying to see Balor turn on Dom and Carlito and beat the piss out of them one of these weeks. He would instantly become a viable midcard babyface if that were to happen. He could bring back his original music and maybe even dust off the good ole' demon body paint. He's a talented enough storyteller in the ring to merit another transformation. In him, Breaker, and Penta are three potentially successful midcard acts. For the first time in a long time, I have a bit of hope for the midcard. Proceed simply and carefully, shining a light on strengths while hiding weaknesses.

IN CONCLUSION

This episode of RAW was leaps and bounds better than the previous week due in no small part to the lively Brussels crowd. If last week showed everything that was wrong with the midcard, this week showed everything that could be right. Hopefully, next week we'll make some headway with Punk, Reigns, and Rollins, as well as a deeper exploration of John Cena.

Thanks for reading.

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Tim Kail's Raw Review, 3/27/25