The unthinkable has happened. John Cena turning heel and joining up forces with The Rock after a vicious assault of Cody Rhodes will forever be the leading and most memorable moment from the WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 PLE. Cena as a heel was always something fans had craved, but fitting a mini run as a bad guy during his final retirement stretch in WWE wasn’t something many had on the bingo card for pro wrestling 2025.
The angle was well done. It was tremendously entertaining and though it did dodge some pretty massive plot holes, the steps taken to get to the endpoint of Rock and Cena together on the same side were logical. Cena overacted “bad Cena” at times, but the attack, punches with Cody’s gold watch, and crushing blows with the Undisputed WWE Championship belt covered up those misses.
The bottom line? It was a money angle that gigantically increased the intrigue and possibilities for the Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena match at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.
Real quick shout to Cody Rhodes. A lot of the attention in that angle and segment was around Cena and The Rock, but Cody gave it his all — mind, body, and yes pun intended, soul. Cody was beat to a pulp by The Rock and Cena. He even got clocked by Travis Scott in what was the worst working punch of all-time.
That said, when Cody needed his moment to tell Rock to fuck off, he did it — literally. I’m on record as saying Rhodes needed to come across as an alpha when telling The Rock that he should take his opportunity and shove it. He found that aura out there and it helped make the segment work.
As for the rest of the Elimination Chamber PLE, it was very good. The Chamber matches themselves were excellent in different ways and the Unsanctioned Match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn overdelivered on high expectations.
Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it and grade accordingly. Period.
Bianca Belair vs. Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi vs. Liv Morgan - Women’s Elimination Chamber Match
I really liked the action throughout the entirety of this one. It wasn’t full of crazy Chamber spots, but they were able to create an environment where you paid attention to the structure because all the women used it in such traditional, yet effective ways. Roxanne Perez was the MVP of the match. She was compelling with how she carried herself and it was tough to take your eyes off of her because of it. Each woman gave this match something significant — a move, a bump, a spot, or something else all together. Belair and Morgan as the final two participants was smart and gave Belair a clean heel to work with. Morgan took the worse bump of all when she got whipped across midsection with Belair’s hair. I’m sure they had that part of the ring on a hot mic, but man, it sounded so loud and brutal. Belair getting the W after Jade Cargill returned and obliterated Naomi — Belair’s tag partner — is something to keep an eye on. Belair vs. Ripley is a huge match that shouldn’t be watered down with another storyline like the Cargill saga even if it’s good.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 3/4
Trish Stratus & Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax & Candice LeRae
The only surprise in this one was that Nia Jax did the job instead of Candice LeRae. Outside of that, it all went as predicted and expected. Just an ok match. The ending was pretty sloppy with Stratton feeling like she had to kick her own partner out of the ring prior to winning. A bizarre turn of events that didn’t mesh with anything happening in the ring.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - O 3/4
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens - Unsanctioned Match
The match of the night and I loved it. This is storytelling. Good, strong storytelling. The match itself was amazing. It had big spots, lots of action, weapons, and violence — the works! In particular, the spot where KO launched Zayn off the ring post and through a table was most impressive. The barbed wire chair, devastating chair bumps, and garbage can strikes were the background to a battle of best friends who had lost their way. That was the story and they told it well in the ring. It was solidified on commentary. Cole correctly calling for both guys to stop when things got overly violent gave the match an element of added danger. The action in the match was great, but remember why it landed so well. It did because a tremendous story that fans care about came before it.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/2
John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Logan Paul - Men’s Elimination Chamber Match
The Cena and Punk interactions were the highlights of this thing by far. Even after all these years, those two guys still have an insane amount of chemistry. The other strong part of this match was that much of it led to something else. Cena took a heelish advantage when he had a chance to win the match. Punk and Seth Rollins have even more hatred for one another after Rollins illegally helped Cena win his match. Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre had a hand in the other getting eliminated, too. WWE juggled a lot of balls and caught most of them in this. Like the women’s match, this had one Chamber specific spot, with Cena being put through one of the pod windows. That’s it, though. Everything else from a physicality standpoint was tame in favor of story.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 3/4
What did you think of the WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 PLE? Let us know in the comments!
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