In just over a week, Cody Rhodes will look to reclaim the Undisputed WWE Championship and get payback on John Cena when they meet at SummerSlam.
At February’s Elimination Chamber, Cena aligned with The Rock and rapper Travis Scott, turning heel and helping hold Rhodes down as Scott delivered a stiff shot to the side of Rhodes’ head. Then, at WrestleMania 41, Scott returned to WWE — sans Rock — and distracted Rhodes, giving Cena the opening to win a record-setting 17th world title.
Last week, Rhodes
forcefully had Cena put pen to paper to make their SummerSlam showdown official — now a no-rules Street Fight, which opens the door for all sorts of shenanigans.
And if the rumors are true, neither The Rock nor Scott will be in the building this time — meaning Cena will have to deal with a vengeful Rhodes alone.
Yeah, about that.
Heading into WrestleMania 41, fans were led to believe — or at least not dissuaded from expecting — that The Rock and Scott would show up to offer immoral support for Cena. We later found out from The Rock that, although he was with the angle all the way and available if needed, his work was done at Elimination Chamber.
Still, we got Travis Scott — which, without The Rock, was like ordering a Double-Double from In-N-Out and getting only the rapper.
Oops. I meant the wrapper.
Later reports suggested Scott was training for a match, likely as Cena’s partner against Rhodes and another, but that never happened.
And now here we are, so close to SummerSlam, and it would appear — through select media outlets — that WWE is doing a better job of managing everyone’s expectations.
Or is it?
Besides The Rock skipping the event, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reported that Travis Scott was originally planned as a surprise celebrity character in the WWE 2K25 video game. However, after an alleged falling out, his spots were given to El Grande Americano and Aleister Black. Meltzer also revealed that it’s now “open season to knock” Scott, highlighted by Drew McIntyre’s blunt remarks on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast.
Far be it from me to discredit Meltzer or his sources, but the timing of these stories is awfully suspicious. In a business built on facades, anything is possible, even if it means working the dirt sheets.
Ultimately, fans tuning in to SummerSlam shouldn’t be disappointed if The Rock and Travis Scott don’t appear. They also shouldn’t be disappointed if they do, which seems to be the consensus when it comes to Scott, and to a lesser extent, The Rock.
So get your favorite snacks ready and prepare to enjoy the ride, wherever it takes us. Just keep your expectations low and brace for the worst — or the best. That is, if you’re into Cena’s FE!NS.
Whoops, my bad again. I meant Cena’s friends.
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