4 References you probably missed during John Cena-Cody Rhodes segment on WWE RAW
This week on WWE RAW on Netflix, John Cena and Cody Rhodes were engaged in an entertaining segment. This ended when The Franchise Player attempted to deliver a cheap shot at Rhodes but The American Nightmare instead executed a Cross Rhodes and put down Cena. Besides this, the segment also witnessed many unexpected references that not many have caught on to.
In this article, we will discuss four references you probably missed from John Cena and Cody Rhodes' recent segment.
#4. An indirect Vince McMahon's reference was dropped
When both Cena and Rhodes were taking shots at each other, the Undisputed WWE Champion also made a major reference to Vince McMahon. This happened when The American Nightmare cited how Vince was the one who handpicked John Cena and eventually made him the biggest babyface in the Stamford-based promotion.
Rhodes also noted that the office guy who handpicked Cena was not here anymore and no one talked about him anymore. This was a shot at Cena after he made a 'Nepo-baby' jibe against Cody. The reference to Vince McMahon was made here since it was during the Vince era the 16-time world champion emerged as a megastar.
#3. Rhodes himself mentioned Stardust
Cody Rhodes initially commented about Stardust in the segment himself and stated how he was helping John Cena cook The American Nightmare in a promo battle. The Undisputed WWE Champion pointed out how John Cena had very limited material to cook Rhodes and mentioned Stardust was just one of them.
For those unaware, during Rhodes' previous run in WWE, he portrayed the gimmick of Stardust, along with his real-life brother Goldust. Currently, there is a drastic change in Cody's character from the Stardust days but still, this reference made the storyline between them even more interesting.
#2. A reference to AEW & Tony Khan was dropped
When John Cena was cutting an intense promo targeting Cody Rhodes, The Franchise Player mentioned that he made empires for billionaires. However, Cena continued, The American Nightmare did only one thing and that was to steal money from their kids.
This statement from the 16-time WWE world champion was a clear reference to Tony Khan and All Elite Wrestling. For those who might not know, Tony Khan's father, Shahid Khan, is a billionaire and one of the leading businessmen in the US, who some critics say bankrolls AEW, often without any evidence.
Cena didn't hold back and went on to comment on how Rhodes was just taking a salary from Tony Khan in his AEW run. On the other hand, Cena was more proficient and made empires for billionaires like Vince McMahon, hinting at the vast difference in stature between the two top pro wrestling promotions in North America.
#1. The Rock's name finally was mentioned in John Cena & Cody Rhodes' storyline
The Rock's name was finally mentioned on RAW this week when Cody Rhodes pointed out how Cena sold his soul to The Final Boss. This was the first time since Elimination Chamber 2025 that The Rock got a nod in this ongoing feud between Rhodes and Cena.
However, WWE has yet to explain the relationship between Cena and The Rock which is surely an interesting perspective the WWE Universe will witness in the upcoming weeks.
