John Cenas first RAW appearance since turning heel at Elimination Chamber was meant to be explosivebut no one expected it to go this long.
According to WrestleVotes Radio, Cenas segment with Cody Rhodes was originally scheduled for 15 minutes, but the Brussels crowds fiery reaction led to an overrun that threw the entire show off balance.
Cena soaked in the deafening mix of boos, you sold out chants, and lets go Cena vs. Cena sucks duels before he even spoke. Then, he verbally destroyed the WWE Universe, blaming them for his downfall and mocking their loyalty. Just when it seemed like Cena had all the heat in the world, Cody Rhodes interrupted and threw it right back at him. I want to wrestle the old Cena at WrestleMania 41, not this whiny b*,* Rhodes said, cutting Cena off and sending the arena into chaos.
The exchange ran much longer than planned, forcing WWE to make some major changes on the fly. What was supposed to be an eight-minute match between Jey Uso and Austin Theory was slashed to just 30 seconds, resulting in a humiliating squash for Theory. In addition, Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria and Maxxine Dupri vs. Natalya were completely cut from the show.
Interestingly, despite Netflixs push for RAW to stay within a strict runtime, the Cena overrun proved that WWE can still stretch its segments when necessary. With Cena and Rhodes set for WrestleMania 41, this could be a sign that WWE is fully embracing the chaos heading into its biggest show of the year.
Do you think WWE made the right call letting Cenas promo run long, or should they have kept the show on schedule? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
