Cody Rhodes receives advice from WWE legend uncle after John Cena heel turn (Exclusive)

Cody Rhodes will defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against John Cena at WrestleMania 41 on April 19-20. In an exclusive interview, Rhodes' uncle, Fred Ottman, told The American Nightmare to "kick a**" when he next shares the ring with his new rival.

On March 1, Cena won the Men's Elimination Chamber match to set up a bout with Rhodes. Following the victory, the 16-time WWE World Champion attacked his WrestleMania 41 opponent and formed a villainous alliance with The Rock and rapper Travis Scott.

Ottman, also known to WWE fans as Tugboat and Typhoon, recently spoke to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter. Discussing Rhodes' storyline, the wrestling legend gave his nephew the following advice:

"Kick a**," Ottman said. "That's all I could tell you. Remember what they did to you, and every punch, every kick, every hold that you put on them, make them pay, make them hurt, and make the audience happy." [15:47 – 16:08]

Watch the video above to hear Ottman cut a promo on The Rock after his Elimination Chamber moment with Cody Rhodes.

Fred Ottman on the logic behind John Cena's heel turn

At the end of 2025, John Cena will retire from in-ring competition after 23 years on WWE's main roster. The Hollywood star has performed as a babyface since 2003 and had been expected to remain a good guy for the rest of his days in the ring.

Earlier in his career, Fred Ottman learned a lot about the industry from wrestling legend Boris Malenko. After watching John Cena's heel turn, he was reminded of some wrestling psychology Malenko taught him about babyfaces becoming villains.

"He taught me the best heels were babyfaces first, and they were so over, as over as you could possibly get as a babyface, so when it comes time to turn you, they will hate you and they will hate you from the bottom of their feet to the top of their head. They will hate you," Ottman said. [15:09 – 15:30]

The 2025 WWE Hall of Fame will take place on April 18 during WrestleMania 41 week. Ottman will be among the inductees alongside fellow Natural Disasters member John Tenta, also known as Earthquake.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

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