WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray (fka Bubba Ray Dudley) recently shared his thoughts on who should be Cody Rhodes' opponent for WrestleMania 41. The official challenger for The American Nightmare will be determined after the 2025 Elimination Chamber, as Jey Uso has decided to challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship.
After failing to win the Royal Rumble, John Cena declared his entry into the men's Chamber match. As of now, Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, and Logan Paul have qualified to step inside the steel structure.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Bully Ray advocated for The Franchise Player to win the Elimination Chamber match and face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. The WWE Hall of Famer emphasized John Cena's global recognition, stating that his fame surpasses that of most other wrestlers such as CM Punk.
"[From a business point of view] John Cena [should win Elimination Chamber & face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41] - because John Cena is known all over the world. On a scale of 1 to 10, if people know CM Punk, like, let's say an 8 or a 9, they know John Cena's name as a 10. Cena is known all over the world, whether it's because of movies, because of wrestling, because of make a wish, everything that he has done," Ray said. [From 07:02 to 07:28]
Watch the full interview below:
Bully Ray further explains why John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes should happen at WWE WrestleMania
During the same appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Bubba Ray Dudley pointed out that The American Nightmare has followed a similar career path to John Cena. He said defeating the former three-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion would be a major milestone in Cody Rhodes' career.
Bully Ray also highlighted the potential for a compelling storyline centered around The Cenation Leader's quest for a record-breaking 17th WWE World Championship.
"Listen Cody has followed the Cena playbook. If Cody Rhodes ever wants to become as big as John Cena, he's going to have to beat John Cena. And I love the story of Cena trying to break the [16 world title reign] record. It's all there. There's a lot of drama there; there's a lot of honest real personal factors that go into this match," he added. [From 07:31 to 07:57]
The wrestling world will have to wait to see if a Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena match materializes at WWE WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Ariel Helwani Show and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.