5 Things John Cena did at WrestleMania that surprised fans

#3 John Cena brings back his rapper persona for one night

John Cena brings back the rapper persona

John Cena had another confrontation with Elias a year later, at WrestleMania 35. This time around, it was Cena who decided to confront Elias, and he had a big surprise for the WWE Universe this time around. Elias kicked off his WrestleMania concert, which had been promoted for weeks on end on the road to the event. He was interrupted by a Babe Ruth video package, followed by which John Cena came out to a huge pop from the fans in attendance.

John Cena's gear sent fans on a nostalgic trip

John Cena was sporting his Thugonomics gear, which he had popularized back in 2002-05. Cena threw a barrage of insults at Elias, and then attacked him with a thunderous Attitude Adjustment. Longtime fans of John Cena were delighted to see him donning his old gimmick, which initially turned him into a top star on WWE SmackDown. Although many fans would have preferred to have John Cena wrestle Kurt Angle in the latter's retirement match, they were glad to see The Dr. of Thugonomics make a return on that night.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Kaushik Das