Part 2 – John Cena helps The Rock take control:
Raw, December 2nd, 2024:
The first Raw after Survivor Series, Triple H is backstage on the phone leaving a message saying “Shawn, Road Dogg, where the hell are you guys? We’re about to go live.”. The Rock simply walks right up alongside him though and says “No use now. Come on, you’ve run these shows plenty of times before, what’s stopping you now?”. The Rock’s music hits and Triple H sits back in his seat as The Rock makes his way out to the ring, stepping through the ropes and grabbing a microphone to make the following announcement:
“Ladies and gentlemen…please welcome…the new John Cena.”
A new theme song then hits as a new titantron pops up and out comes John Cena wearing an expensive suit and looking far different from his previous self. He steps through the ropes and The Rock hands off the microphone to him, taking in the loud sea of boos that the fans throw at him for a few minutes before finally speaking and saying the following:
“…You can fucking see me now, can’t you?…” *loud sea of boos + “fuck you, Cena” chants from the crowd + some cheers at hearing an f-bomb dropped live on WWE TV* “…NOW y’all care about John Cena, huh?…NOW y’all care now that I announced my ‘retirement’ from WWE, huh?…” *more boos + some cheers* “…Speaking of which…right about now you may be thinking to yourselves…’but John, didn’t you announce your retirement tour for 2025? What are you doing here in 2024?’.
*he is then heard laughing over the microphone* “Y’all really thought it was that easy?…Haven’t you figured it out yet?…I’m not just a wrestler, I am an actor. And a damn brilliant one too!…” *crowd boos and cheers some more* “The past nearly 20 years of my career has been the greatest performance of my entire life…13 WWE Championships…3 World Heavyweight Championships…5 United States Championships…2 WWE Tag Team Championships…2 World Tag Team Championships…5 time Wrestlemania headliner…2 time Superstar Of The Year Slammy Award winner…39 movies and counting…18 award nominations…and over 650 Make A Wish’s come true…”
*crowd yells “What?!” after everything Cena lists* “THAT’S what…and all because I knew exactly how to ride the wave of this company’s system and stay 2 steps ahead of everyone. Let’s rewind a little bit, shall we? The year is 2005 and the event is Wrestlemania 21. I’d won the Royal Rumble match and earned the right to face JBL for the WWE Championship…and I won it. You people were finally so excited to see their beloved Doctor Of Thuganomics as the face that runs the place…but there was one problem…the Ruthless Aggression era was slowly but surely coming to an end and WWE was taking a more PG turn…management had to do anything to keep their precious sponsors, and that meant the Doctor Of Thuganomics wasn’t gonna survive on the rest of the journey…but John Cena would.
The doctor’s death was John Cena’s beginning because once the PG era started, the vision to my successful future was crystal clear…I would create a character so PG…so family friendly…so suitable for the type of program that was being pushed…and what was the result? Millions of people believed it, just like how millions of people believed my little retirement speech, and I became the greatest of all time both in the ring and out of the ring! And no one suspected a thing…but hey, can’t say I’m surprised, that’s just the idiotic WWE universe for ya.
What else did y’all think I meant every time I said ‘you can’t see me’? Because none of y’all ever could see the real John Cena. Y’all never could see the path that I saw and clung to and rode all the way to the finish line…” *crowd boos and cheers again* “…Which brings me to today. Why am I here and why did I do what I did to Roman Reigns?…The answer is simple…because of each and every one of you marks in this crowd tonight…”
*crowd only boos now* “…What I did at Survivor Series, I didn’t do it for Solo Sikoa…I sure as hell didn’t do it for any of you…I did it for that man right there…” *points to The Rock* “…and most of all I did it for me. I stuck my neck out for this company and created moment after moment after moment after moment after moment after moment for everyone, and yet I still heard the same old ‘Cena sucks’ and ‘you can’t wrestle’ chants. At the time I didn’t mind at all, and originally I wasn’t even gonna do this big reveal for all you simpering idiots…but the more I saw of the way you reacted to the wrestlers on this roster, the more angry I got.
Y’all spent almost 20 years wanting something new and different out of John Cena’s boring old family-friendly marine persona, but yet Roman Reigns clearly hasn’t changed a damn bit and still don’t give a damn about his family or anyone around him and you cheer him instantly the second he’s back. And why is that huh? Because he failed? Because he pissed away his 1,000 plus day Undisputed WWE Championship reign at Wrestlemania 40 to Cody Rhodes?
THAT’S what it takes for you to like him after you spent the last 4 years hating him?!…” *crowd boos* “…I may have beaten this company’s system, but it is you who keeps it impossible for everyone…but not anymore…my time is still now…and everyone else’s time is up…welcome to the John Cena show…” *he then turns to The Rock* “Dwayne, you’ve held up your end of the bargain and helped me get my foot back in the door, and I appreciate that…now what do you say I do the same on my end?…”
The Rock nods at John Cena’s words as Cena steps out of the ring, reaching under it and grabbing a sledge-hammer as the two of them head to the back. Once in the back, the two of them approach Triple H who appears to be watching something on his phone in horror. He looks at Rock and says “What did you do?! What the hell is this?!”, revealing what he’s watching on his phone to be video footage of Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu attacking Shawn Michaels in his home while Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa are attacking Road Dogg in his home.
Triple H then goes to hit The Rock but John Cena to begin hitting him with the sledge-hammer repeatedly as Adam Pearce and several backstage producers go to try and break it up, only to be stopped by The Rock who simply yells “Don’t any of you bitches think about it! Don’t forget The Rock is on the TKO board of directors! He’s your boss and he’s his boss! Anyone intervenes and you don’t have a job anymore! Spread the word throughout the building!”.
Rock and Cena then drag Triple H out to ringside while everyone else is powerless to do anything and Cena continues the sledge-hammer shots on the game, targeting his chest as The Rock applauds him. Before it can escalate any further however, Sami Zayn comes running out armed with a chair, causing John Cena to flee through the audience and Sami and Rock to fight one another which ultimately sends Rock fleeing as well.
Following this attack, Triple H is immediately rushed to the hospital as the announcers comment on the past cardiac issues that he had had in the past and that the sledge-hammer shots that Cena delivered to him may have possibly done some serious damage to his heart.
Raw, December 9th, 2024:
The next night on Raw, the show opens with a surprise appearance from Triple H’s wife, Stephanie McMahon. She is there to give a medical update on Triple H and she informs fans that he has suffered from a septal defect in his heart and that he is currently undergoing surgery, and this then leads into her saying that John Cena and The Rock will get what’s coming to them after what they’ve done.
Sami Zayn’s music then hits and he comes out to the ring, first expresses his condolences to Stephanie and to her children but then says that he will make sure that what happened to Triple H and what happened to Roman Reigns at Survivor Series won’t happen to anyone else and that he wants John Cena in a match.
Stephanie however says that as much as she wants to grant Sami the opportunity to whoop his ass, she unfortunately doesn’t have any position of power currently in the WWE to make that match happen, and this is when John Cena’s new music hits and the champ comes out and stands on the ramp. He cuts the following promo:
“Cut my music…” *crowd boos* “…Stephanie McMahon…long time since we’ve seen you around…but forgive me if I missed something, but all this here just ain’t adding up…why exactly do you even give a shit about Hunter after he forced you into marriage by knocking you out and sending you through a drive-thru chapel?”
*crowd goes wild at that comment* “…*poorly mimicking Stephanie* ‘oH! oH! b-bUt JoHn, hE cHaAaAaNgEd! wE hAvE kIdS nOoOoOw! hE’s NoT tHaT pErSoN aNyMoRe!’. Yea sure, and next do you want me to say that the act I put up for the last 2 decades was real?… *crowd still goes wild but boos more now* “Let me tell you all a little something about Triple H: He’s got a position of power here in this company not because he’s the step son of the previous owner, but because he bullied his way through every single damn part of his whole career.
And I do quite literally mean his whole career. His entire Hall Of Fame name and all his world championship reigns were all because he was daddy’s little boy and couldn’t bear to see anybody else in the spotlight but him, and thus he would cheat and skip the line to every opportunity there was…” *crowd boos again* “…And yet that’s the same guy in that big boss’s chair back there that you’re praising today just because he books half-baked dog crap that he only wishes was as good as the 261 bangers that me and Randy Orton put on for all you ungrateful idiots.
Yea, Triple H, the same guy that got so cocky he thought it’d be a good idea to throw let’s just say ‘offensive’ remarks at Booker T on the buildup to Wrestlemania 19 just for a cheap reaction, that’s the same guy you’re praising today for ‘saving’ WWE. The same guy that…”
*Sami Zayn interrupts Cena and says the following*: “Oh would you just shut up already???…” *crowd cheers* “…Ya know something John…I’m gonna give you credit where it’s due. You really fooled us. You fooled all of us…but here’s the thing: You already had a Hall Of Fame worthy career by doing what it was that you were doing. You could’ve kept your legacy as positive to everyone here and let 2025 be your final moment of glory and walked off with everyone remembering all that you’ve contributed, because regardless of whether you were cheered or whether you were booed, no one could take away all that you’ve done…”
*mixed crowd reactions* “…but unfortunately, we now see that you prioritize your own ego over all of that…” *crowd cheers* “…What you did to me and Roman Reigns at Survivor Series. Helping The Rock take control just so that you could make your way back here. Everything you said last week. Don’t pretend that you did any of that because of the fans. The truth is John; you’re jealous. You’re jealous that WWE could survive without you. Jealous that there were others that could earn the same star power as you did and others that could earn the fans’s respect to go with that!” *crowd cheers*
John Cena speaking: “…*laughing* “What, like you? Like Roman Reigns? I said it last week and I’ll say it again, all it took for these idiots to care about Roman Reigns was for him to lose his title to Cody Rhodes and then get his ula fala taken by Solo Sikoa, and apparently that was enough for him to be worthy of said star power and be redeemed in their eyes despite the fact that he ain’t changed at all…”
*crowd boos* “…Which brings me to you, Sami…and here’s the thing: despite what I did to you at Survivor Series, I don’t hate you. In fact to some degree I respect you. You saw an opportunity to rise to the very top of the food chain just like I did, and you took it. You saw Roman Reigns and his little bloodline were out making names for themselves, and so you latched onto their coat tails, renamed yourself to Sami Uso, and did anything you could to get to the top.
You wanna know why you couldn’t stay there though? It’s because you’re weak. You let your spirit, your thoughts, your feelings, and your emotions get the better of you and prevent you from doing what was necessary to ensure success in your future. And look at you now. All you are now is a man. An ordinary mediocre man. A man with no title, a man with no opportunities knocking, and a man with no future. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Sami Zayn: The biggest ‘what if’ of the modern era.”
Sami Zayn speaking: “Awfully bold of you to say that as if I’m on my last legs here, John. But since you wanna talk about success so much, why don’t we talk about something I’ve done four times that you could never once do in your career no matter how hard you tries: win the Intercontinental championship!” *crowd cheers at that*
Cena gets pissed at this comment and starts making his way to the ring, Sami ready to square up as well. This however leads to Adam Pearce coming out to put a stop to it:
Adam Pearce speaking: “Whoa whoa whoa, hang on a minute. Now John, you and The Rock and The Bloodline might have taken out DX, but I as your general manager of Monday Night Raw am still here. Sami, Stephanie, you both want to see John Cena get what’s coming to his, and after last week, frankly so do I. So here’s the deal: This Saturday, at the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event, it will be John Cena vs Sami Zayn one on one! And that’s official!”
Saturday Night’s Main Event, December 14th, 2024:
John Cena vs Sami Zayn – Singles match:
Cena and Zayn kick off the show in the very first match and it is a very back and forth match between each man, Sami showcasing his blend of fighting styles, while John’s new side is shown clear as day in the match as he occasionally steps out of the ring to take a breather any time Sami has the offense while also attempting to perform underhanded tactics every time he has Sami on the defense.
There is even a neat little spot in the match where Sami gets a bit of momentum going and brings the fight to Cena in a way that mirrors the start of Cena’s first ever match against Kurt Angle way back in Smackdown 2002. At one point however once Sami has Cena in the corner and is preparing for the Helluva Kick, The Rock’s music hits and the final boss comes out to stand on the ramp, distracting Sami and giving John enough time to grab a chair and hit Sami over the head with it.
This all happens right in front of the referee however, but right as the ref is about to disqualify Cena, The Rock gets on the mic and says “Charles Robinson! Hold your call there and don’t even think about ending this match in disqualification, boy! You’ve been here since 1997, and it’d be a real shame for you to get fired after all those years for not listening to your boss, because that’s what’s gonna happen if you ring that damn bell!”.
The referee is then forced to let Cena keep hitting Zayn with the chair and it is here that we see another side of Cena’s heel persona come out as he shows a more aggressive side of him (one would say ruthless aggression ;D), specifically targeting Sami’s neck. John then lifts Sami up onto his shoulders for the Attitude Adjustment, but halfway through the move, he brings Sami down and causes his head to land on his knee before proceeding to lock in an advanced version of the STF. This hold is so powerful on the now damaged neck of Sami that it causes him to pass out, and forces the referee to ring the bell. John Cena wins by TKO.
After the match however, Cena continues the assault on Sami and The Rock then gets in the ring to join him. As they’re doing this though, Jey Uso’s music hits and he comes out to save his fellow OG bloodline member, but is unfortunately overpowered by both of the Hollywood stars. The Rock hits Jey Uso with a Rock Bottom and stands tall with John Cena and Cena then grabs a mic and says the following:
“Hey Dwayne…I can’t be the only one that notices it, can I? Two more OG Bloodline members have had their asses laid out, and Roman Reigns once again doesn’t show up to save em. First Jimmy Uso, then Paul Heyman, and now Sami Zayn and Jey Uso. How does it feel guys? How does it feel to know that your so called Tribal Chief only needs you when-“
But before Cena can finish talking, Roman Reigns’s music hits and out comes the OTC. He gets in the ring and immediately Superman punches The Rock before he and Cena begin going back and forth with one another, resulting in Reigns sending Cena over the top rope. Rock then gets back up and begins fighting with Roman again, but Roman eventually hits him with a spear, causing Rock to scream out in pain similarly to how he did at Wrestlemania. Reigns then helps Jey and Sami to their feet with Sami visibly holding his neck in pain as the three of them stand tall and hold up the ones in the air to John Cena who stands on the ramp in shock. The war has only just begun…
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 3…
Full Credit: Reddit user AdNatural786