WWE saw an epic twist last night that has been dubbed one of its greatest of all time by fans, as John Cena has performed a heel turn to join forces with former rival The Rock ahead of Wrestlemania.

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The shocking development came during last night's Elimination Chamber event, which ended with Cena embracing fellow 'face' (i.e. heroic character) Cody Rhodes, before following a prompt by The Rock to betray him right there and then inside the ring.

Cena proceeded to kick Rhodes to the floor, before a brutal beating that left him bloody-faced and had fans – both in the stadium and those watching at home – picking their jaws up off the floor.

For context, Cena has spent the vast majority of his WWE career as a protagonist of the wrestling organisation's countless storylines, with some regular viewers even taking issue with his generally squeaky clean reputation.

It's for that reason this twist came as such a surprise to everyone watching, combined with how Cena is supposedly retiring at the next WrestleMania event, meaning he could well end his WWE career as a heel (i.e. a wrestling villain)!

Here's the full clip of that fateful moment at the WWE Chamber event.

The reaction from fans and wrestling aficionados on X has been one of utter disbelief, with some claiming that it could well be one of WWE's most surprising twists in the organisation's long history.

Another user predicted there would be "documentaries made about this moment", speaking to its significance among those who have watched Cena and The Rock's careers over many years.

Another paid tribute to Cena's performance – particularly his dead-eyed stare in the seconds before he flipped on Rhodes – which brought added weight to the history-making moment.

Meanwhile, the Public Enemies Podcast (which covers WWE) compared Cena's heel turn to a controversial Marvel comic book in which Captain America was revealed to be a Hydra sleeper agent (don't worry, it was just Cosmic Cube trickery).

Still, it should give even non-WWE fans an idea of how completely unpredictable this moment truly was.

The story will continue at WrestleMania 41, scheduled for Sunday 20th April 2025, where Cena will supposedly make his final WWE appearance before retiring from the industry.

WWE is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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