John Cena to have a backstage confrontation with 10-time WWE Champion on SmackDown today? Exploring the possibility

Modified Apr 18, 2025 11:34 GMT

John Cena will face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41! (Credits: WWE.Com) — John Cena will face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41! (Image Credit: WWE.Com)

As announced by WWE, John Cena is set to appear on the go-home edition of SmackDown before WrestleMania 41. It emanates live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Franchise Player hasn’t been seen on WWE television since receiving a wrecking Cross Rhodes from Cody Rhodes on the March 31 episode of Monday Night RAW. The final installment of the blue brand offers Cena the chance to gain momentum heading into a major title bout at The Show of Shows.

In the realm of possibility, the Franchise Player could meet his arch-rival and Cody Rhodes’s mentor, Randy Orton, tonight. These two could get into a heated altercation backstage on the blue brand. With both men set to be under the same building, a face-off between ex-foes could be on the horizon, laying the foundation for their future match-up. There has been buzz around the Internet that the legends could revisit their iconic feud in 2025.

The 10-time WWE Champion is bound to have an important role post-Mania, as he is the featured cover superstar for the 2025 Backlash PLE, and if Cena captures his 17th world title, the Apex Predator could be the perfect opponent to start his reign.

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Randy Orton is currently seeking a replacement opponent for his 20th WrestleMania. The Apex Predator took shots at Cena on SmackDown after he turned heel at the 2025 Elimination Chamber. Thus, the two getting into another encounter seems inevitable.

That said, the angle mentioned above is speculative at this point, and nothing has been confirmed.

John Cena is aiming to break a major record at WWE WrestleMania 41

Cody Rhodes needs to be worried about John Cena, as the Leader of Cenation is aiming to break a major WWE record before he hangs up his boots later this year.

John Cena is looking forward to beating The American Nightmare and becoming a record-breaking 17-time world champion. As of this writing, the Franchise Player is tied with Ric Flair on 16 title victories.

Will John Cena break the record and etch his name in the books by leaving Las Vegas as the Undisputed WWE Champion? All questions will be answered this Sunday.

About the author

Nayan is a WWE News and Features writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. After completing his bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Poddar International, he began working as a YouTube script writer. Nayan then transitioned to Pinkvilla as a combat sports writer. He gained valuable experience there before finally coming under the banner of Sportskeeda.

Within 1.5 years, Nayan has written over 1,000 articles, interviewed MFN promotion owners, and conducted a Twitter campaign that gained over 50k retweets and more. He puts fact-checking and mindful journalism above everything by applying a three-check method, where he tries to verify reports from reliable sources and cross-check whether other major publications have covered them.

Looking back at his association with pro wrestling, Nayan recalls being hooked on the sport after watching Shawn Michael vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 24. Since then, the product has been an inseparable part of his life.

Apart from The Heartbreak Kid being Nayan's favorite wrestler for his confidence and charisma, he is also a fan of Brock Lesnar due to The Beast's "work speaks louder than words" attitude.

Nayan can be found performing mixed martial arts and reading true crime in his free time.

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Edited by Sanchari Bhattacharya