The winner of Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena at SummerSlam 2025 has subtly been spoiled; top star may walk away from WWE

Since his WWE return, Cody Rhodes has been on a journey of redemption, working hard to regain the Undisputed WWE Championship that he lost to John Cena at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, a match marred by a controversial ending. Cena turned heel for the first time in 20 years at the 2025 Elimination Chamber

The American Nightmare won the 2025 King of the Ring Tournament at Night of Champions, beating his former mentor and 14-time WWE Champion Randy Orton, and has officially punched his ticket to the first-ever two-night SummerSlam against John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Interestingly, despite being the fan favorite to regain his lost title against the Last Real Champion, Cody Rhodes may end up losing his Undisputed Title match against John Cena and walk away from WWE for a while.

A couple of days back, a report confirmed that the American Nightmare has officially joined the Hollywood film Street Fighter, which also stars Original Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, who will play the villainous character Akuma. Meanwhile, Rhodes is set to play the iconic character of Guile.

The filming for the movie is reportedly set to begin in August, and for his part, Cody Rhodes may have to take time off from WWE. Hence, he would likely end up losing the title match against John Cena at SummerSlam 2025, allowing him to focus on his filming schedule.

Moreover, another hint was the Survivor Series WarGames 2025 poster. Cody Rhodes and John Cena were face-to-face, hinting at their potential WarGames bout at the event later this year. This suggests that Cena and Rhodes' feud may not conclude at SummerSlam 2025, as the American Nightmare might end up losing.

That said, the angle proposed above is speculative, and no official confirmation has been made.

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Veteran WWE journalist talks about Cody Rhodes potentially turning heel

For quite some time, there have been rumors of Cody Rhodes potentially turning heel for the first time since his return to the World Wrestling Entertainment at WrestleMania 38.

While speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s UnSKripted, senior pro-wrestling journalist Bill Apter predicted that if the American Nightmare turns heel, he wouldn’t get cheers, unlike John Cena or Jacob Fatu.

The veteran stated that if Cody Rhodes turns heel, he will be perceived as a bad guy and will be booed by the fans.

"You know Cody, if he turns heel, he would not be a heel that fans would cheer for like John Cena and Jacob Fatu. You have heels that are being cheered, but I think Cody, if he turned heel, would actually be a heel. He'd be booed." [From 15:33 onwards]

It will be interesting to see how Cody Rhodes and John Cena’s second encounter unfolds at the first-ever two-night SummerSlam 2025 and whether their saga will extend or conclude this summer with the American Nightmare winning.