The Rock may have backstage issues in WWE that is affecting current storyline, ex-employee feels (Exclusive)

Modified Mar 22, 2025 09:27 GMT

The Rock signaled John Cena to turn heel at Elimination Chamber (Image via WWE.com).

The Rock's name was noticeably absent from John Cena's WWE RAW promo this past week. The Cenation Leader called out his fanbase for booing him over the years. The promo was followed by a confrontation with Cody Rhodes.

During a recent episode of BroDown on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Vince Russo alluded to a possible backstage issue involving The Final that may have prevented his mention on RAW this past Monday.

"There's got to be more going on than meets the eye, because this doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense for Cena not to bring him up in the promo. It doesn't make any sense; not for Rock to send a video. It doesn't make any sense. So I'm just assuming something Is going on politically or backstage because there's no rhyme or reason that Cena does not mention The Rock." [25:36 onwards]

Russo previously claimed WWE made a huge mistake with how they formatted John Cena's promo segment with Cody Rhodes on RAW, noting that it should've been laid out throughout the show. Both men will come face-to-face next Monday on the red brand.

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About the author

Manik Aftab writes Exclusive articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling’s WWE division. A BA (Hons) in English Literature helped him improve his writing skills before starting his career as a pro wrestling writer.

Before joining Sportskeeda, Aftab worked for Ringside News and The Sportster, where his wrestling articles and feature pieces consistently ranked on the first page of Google SERPs.

He prioritizes accuracy, relevance, and ethics in his reporting by conducting thorough research, verifying sources, and adhering to professional journalistic standards.

While Aftab’s favorite wrestler in AEW is Hangman Adam Page, he doesn’t have a favorite in WWE yet. However, he considers Stone Cold Steve Austin to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. His earliest memory of watching pro wrestling was when The Rock faced The New Age Outlaws in a handicap match, but it was the John Cena vs. Edge match from Unforgiven 2006 that got him hooked. If given the chance to manage a star from the Attitude Era, he would choose The British Bulldog, as he believes Davey Boy Smith was a terrific worker and could've benefitted from having a mouthpiece for his lack of mic skills.

When not watching pro wrestling, Aftab enjoys reading science fiction and watching anime.

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Edited by Rahul Madurawe