4 WWE figures except The Rock who could be revealed as John Cena's ultimate "puppet master"

John Cena is set to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship for the first time at Backlash against Randy Orton. It will be held in Orton's hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, with The Viper recently dropping a massive hint about Cena's true motives.

While the Last Real Champion claimed that he would "ruin" professional wrestling, Orton subtly told the WWE Universe last Friday on SmackDown that his rival was being controlled by the ultimate "puppet master."

The Rock is the obvious choice given what happened at Elimination Chamber. But what if it's someone different? Let's look at four possible WWE figures who could be controlling John Cena.

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#1. Triple H could turn heel and align with John Cena

Triple H (Photo source: wwe.com)

The Rock has been too busy with his career in Hollywood and other business ventures to be a consistent part of WWE programming. The Final Boss is an entertaining character and easy to hate for fans. However, what if the company could introduce a new "boss" who could be there regularly?

Triple H can play the role to perfection because it's a swerve not many would expect. The Game is considered one of the greatest heels in WWE history, so he can bring back his bad guy character from The Authority years and level it up since he's a real-life boss now.

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#2. Paul Heyman can be called The Puppet Man

With Triple H's heart condition, it might not be best to have him in his executive role and as an on-screen authority figure. WWE could put Paul Heyman in charge, giving him control of stars on RAW and SmackDown. It's the ultimate power play for The Wiseman, who could call himself The Puppet Man.

Heyman's influence on screen has already been established after he was able to get CM Punk the main event spot on Night One of WrestleMania 41. He also promised Sami Zayn a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship if he had accepted the offer from Seth Rollins last week on RAW.

John Cena also has a storied history with Paul Heyman from the early to mid-2000s and into the 2010s with various run-ins against clients of Heyman.

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#3. Fans have dubbed Karrion Kross the 'Puppet Master'

Karrion Kross (Photo source: wwe.com)

Fans have started to cheer and notice Karrion Kross for his brilliant work online, as well as on television whenever he gets the chance. Kross went full throttle at the post-WrestleMania 41 show when he cut a shoot promo that caught the attention of the WWE Universe.

The Herald of Doomsday has also been called the "Puppet Master" by fans online. Kross' character has had a hand in some of the most diabolical turns over the past two years, from Drew McIntyre to Shinsuke Nakamura to AJ Styles. Maybe, just maybe, he also influenced John Cena somehow.

It's not just a big swerve away from The Rock, but it also puts Kross on a pedestal as a future building block of the company. His deal is reportedly expiring, so it will be interesting to see how his story pans out. He lost to Dragon Lee on Main Event recently, so things are not looking up.

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#4. Uncle Howdy could be controlling John Cena

One of John Cena's biggest rivals was the late, great Bray Wyatt. Cena faced Bray at WrestleMania 30, getting the win over the then-up-and-coming WWE Superstar. They met again at WrestleMania 36 in a Firefly Funhouse match, which was a cinematic masterpiece that The Fiend ultimately won.

While it's highly unlikely that Uncle Howdy had something to do with Cena's heel turn, it's fun to think about if it could work in this day and age. The Wyatt Sicks have been missing since late last year, and they need momentum on television upon their return.