The Rock Wanted Different Star To Turn Heel Instead Of John Cena

The Rock doesn’t always get what he wants.

In the weeks leading up to Elimination Chamber, The Rock told Cody Rhodes he wanted him to become his World Champion, warning the star that he wanted to take his soul.

This set up a segment in Toronto where Rhodes would either join forces with The Great One or turn him down and continue on his own path.

In the minutes after John Cena won the Elimination Chamber, Rhodes, Rock, and Hip Hop star Travis Scott arrived in the ring. When Rhodes was asked to make his decision, he told Rock to “go f*ck himself.” In the background, Cena celebrated widely, and he and Rhodes embraced.

However, as they hugged, Rock gave Cena a signal, and he kicked Rhodes in the groin before leaving him a bloody mess. The Cena heel turn left fans stunned and has been a talking point across wrestling and mainstream media for days, but it seems The Rock originally had a very different plan.

The Rock Wanted To Turn A Different Star Heel

Reporting in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer suggested that The Rock actually wanted Rhodes to turn heel, but the star tuned the idea down. This meant that it was passed to second-choice Cena, who agreed.

This angle was art imitating life to a degree. Dwayne Johnson legit, when he wasn’t going to wrestle, and decided to be a part of the Mania build, wanted to be aligned with Rhodes with Rhodes going heel…

Rhodes turned down the idea, and they went to Cena as the second choice. I had figured Punk was going to get the slot but we’re told it never came down to him as Cena agreed to do it.

Meltzer surmised that Cena would now need to beat Rhodes at WrestleMania, as having the Hollywood star backed by The Rock only to lose made little sense.