As revealed on WWE Unreal, the plan to have Kevin Owens win the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber 2025 was scrapped (as revealed in our previous article), but the concept had a lasting impact on the creative direction heading into WrestleMania 41. WWE writer Ed Koskey discussed the pivotal role The Rock and his team played in setting the tone. “Rock and his team made out the original offer as far as what we could possibly do at Elimination Chamber,” Koskey said. “The overall framework from Rock’s team worked. The one issue we had was changing the championship that close to WrestleMania.”
Although Kevin Owens didn’t get the title win, the urgency and scale of The Rock’s proposal pushed WWE to seek something equally explosive. “All that being said, the idea from Rock’s team did set the tone for how impactful this moment needed to be, so we were trying to figure out what could we do.” That brainstorming phase led to some wild possibilities – including turning top babyface Cody Rhodes into a heel. “I think I was the first one to say, ‘What if Cody accepts the offer and drops John Cena and sells out to The Rock?’” Koskey revealed.
But then came the swerve from inside WWE’s own executive circle. Koskey recalled, “It was actually (WWE executive) Bruce (Prichard) who said, ‘What if we turn John Cena (heel)?’”
That pitch stuck. In a moment that stunned the WWE Universe, John Cena – one of the most beloved babyfaces in wrestling history – turned heel by attacking Cody Rhodes. The betrayal marked a historic creative shift for Cena and served as the jaw-dropping climax WWE was chasing all along.
While many “what if” scenarios were floated, including a Kevin Owens title win and a Cody Rhodes heel turn, it was the shocking turn of John Cena that made it to air – delivering one of the most memorable moments in recent WWE history.
WWE Reveals The Original Matches For WrestleMania 41
On WWE Unreal on Netflix, WWE revealed the originally planned matches for WrestleMania 41:
– Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena
– Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
– World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther vs. CM Punk
– Singles Match with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Special Guest Referee: Drew McIntyre vs. Bron Breakker
– Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair
– WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax
– Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship: Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed vs. Ludwig Kaiser
– Ladder Match for the United States Championship: LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso vs. Andrade vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Santos Escobar vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
– Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
– WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair vs. Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane)
– AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
– Bad Bunny vs. Dominik Mysterio
– Rey Mysterio (with Travis Scott) vs. Chad Gable
– Wyatt Sicks vs. Judgment Day
RELATED: Top WWE Star Criticizes Travis Scott For Screwing Up The WrestleMania 41 Main Event
