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John Cena Drops Heel Persona Friday Night On WWE SmackDown

The old John Cena is back. The WWE Champion says the beating he received from Cody Rhodes last Friday on SmackDown was a wake up call.
Rick Ucchino|
John Cena at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas
John Cena at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas | WWE.com

The Champ is back! At least that's his claim.

WWE Champion John Cena declared Friday night on SmackDown that he's over his B.S. and is now back to adhering to his principles of hustle, loyalty and respect.

The announcement was a rather shocking development as Cena is less than 48 hours away from defending his WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes in a Street Fight at WWE SummerSlam. The Never Seen 17-Time World Champion gave credit to the American Nightmare giving him the 'wake up call' he needed when Rhodes assaulted him and forced him to sign the contract for SummerSlam.

Cena said that he lost his way months ago when he was talked into shocking the world and delivering great television. He sold out everything he held dear for one final shot at glory and was then abandoned by cohorts and forced to carry on the charade alone.

It was at Elimination Chamber back on March 1 that Cena turned his back on Cody Rhodes and the WWE Universe by taking part in a brutal beatdown of the American Nightmare, alongside The Rock and Travis Scott.

The only platinum rapper that's showing up at SummerSlam is John Cena himself

John Cena, The Rock, Travis Scott
The Rock, Travis Scott, John Cena | WWE.com

No more Final Boss, no more Travis Scott. John Cena is fighting for himself once again and he will bring everything he has into this Street Fight on Sunday.

He did admit that he wants to retire with the WWE Championship, but not to ruin professional wrestling. Cena said he loves pro wrestling, but he wants to take the title with him so the fans don't forget about him when he's gone.

Upon hearing what Cena had to say, all Cody Rhodes could do was smile. He then called for a couple of beers from the timekeepers area, cracked them open and shared a drink with his old mentor as he welcomed him back to WWE.

It will now be the American Nightmare against the Greatest of All Time, and John Cena says he will be at his best. If Cody wants some, he better come get some.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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