John Cena delivers stark reminder to Cody Rhodes in final confrontation before WrestleMania 41

LAS VEGAS – John Cena and Coy Rhodes had 1 last confrontation connected Friday nighttime successful the last "SmackDown" occurrence earlier their WrestleMania 41 matchup astatine Allegiant Stadium successful Las Vegas.

Cena and Rhodes traded shots astatine each other, arsenic they’ve been doing for weeks. For a moment, Rhodes was connected the receiving extremity of immoderate boos from the assemblage astatine the T-Mobile Arena. Cen had a reminder for the "American Nightmare."

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John Cena enters during Cody Rhode's Promo during Friday-night Smackdown astatine T-Mobile Arena connected April 18, 2025, successful Las Vegas, Nevada. (Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images)

"On Sunday to bushed you, I don’t person to wrestle," Cena told Rhodes arsenic helium chopped him successful the head.

Cena past attempted to enactment Rhodes into his signature Attitude Adjustment maneuver but Rhodes countered and deed the 16-time WWE champion with a Cross Rhodes and near Cena connected his backmost successful the mediate of the ring.

It was the last connection sent earlier their epic lucifer connected Night 2 of WWE’s premier unrecorded event.

Rhodes told Fox News Digital successful the days starring up to WrestleMania that facing Cena was a "first-time-ever" acquisition for him due to the fact that of the crook Cena has made distant from the fans.

"I look astatine a batch of worldly now, similar John and my lucifer astatine WrestleMania 41. I truly look astatine it similar it’s the archetypal clip ever," Rhodes explained. "John was idiosyncratic who came successful and, not close away, but helium did find his footing rapidly successful presumption of who John Cena was going to be, and helium waved that emblem and carried his marque precise firmly, precise successful a disciplined mode for arsenic agelong arsenic helium did. 

WRESTLEMANIA 41 NIGHT 2 WILL SEE JOHN CENA TRYING TO MAKE HISTORY AGAINST CODY RHODES

"Really helped propulsion the wagon astatine WWE during a transitional play arsenic well. I consciousness similar he’s ever been that John for maine – bully feline oregon atrocious guy. You needed to enactment arsenic hard, if not harder, and you request to get to his level, different helium was going to measurement implicit you and past permission you successful the dust."

Rhodes added that helium ne'er would person thought Cena would person turned bottommost during his career, being that he’d been beloved by fans for truthful long.

Cody Rhodes stands implicit John Cena during Friday-night Smackdown astatine T-Mobile Arena connected April 18, 2025, successful Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Mike Owens /WWE via Getty Images)

"So, now, looking astatine the matchup, that’s wherefore I accidental it feels similar a first-time-ever for me, due to the fact that aboriginal successful my career, I hadn’t recovered my footing. I didn’t cognize who I was," helium said. "And now, particularly judging from these past respective interactions successful the ring, I consciousness similar we bash cognize who each different are now. . . . I couldn’t person enactment it successful my wildest dreams that this would beryllium a WrestleMania header lucifer and main event, particularly nether the circumstances it’s travel under. But that’s the beauteous happening astir pro wrestling; it’s excessively pugnacious to call."

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WrestleMania 41 Night 2 is acceptable for Sunday astatine 7 p.m. ET. Should Cena win, it would beryllium a record-breaking 17th WWE rubric for him.

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