Why John Cena's last WrestleMania match failed, according to WWE veteran

Modified Apr 23, 2025 17:17 GMT

John Cena is now a 17-time World Champion [Image Credit: wwe.com]

John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 to win the Undisputed WWE Championship. Dutch Mantell, formerly known in WWE as Zeb Colter, recently shared his honest thoughts on the controversial finish.

Many expected The Rock's villainous Final Boss character to help Cena win a record-breaking 17th World Championship. However, the Hollywood star did not appear at the two-night event. Instead, rapper Travis Scott interfered in the show-closing bout to assist Cena's historic victory.

Mantell said on his Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast that fans only remained invested in Cena vs. Rhodes due to The Rock's possible involvement:

"It's almost like they're seeing two guys that they don't want to see in this main event because I think both of them still have their fans, and Cena, it's almost like you're going to watch something but you have this illusion in your mind, that's how it's gonna end because they knew that Cena was gonna win, but the thing that held them there, and the intensity that held them there, was that The Rock was going to show up." [55:36 – 56:20]

Following widespread criticism online, The Rock appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to address his WrestleMania absence. The TKO board member said he never planned to appear at WrestleMania. He also revealed he only got involved in the Cena vs. Rhodes story at Elimination Chamber to boost ticket sales.

Dutch Mantell praises WrestleMania 41 finishes before Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena

In Dutch Mantell's opinion, IYO SKY's win over Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley was the best match from the second night of WrestleMania 41. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre, Joe Hendry vs. Randy Orton, and the Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way also received high praise.

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Mantell believes the quality of the rest of the show contributed to fans' disappointment with the Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena finish:

"And what happened? The Rock didn't show up. And after they've seen these fantastically layered finishes and build-up to finishes, they expected that [The Rock's return] in this match, and it never happened." [56:21 – 56:38]

On the post-WrestleMania 41 episode of RAW, Randy Orton hit John Cena with an RKO to begin a new Undisputed WWE Championship storyline.

Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart