John Cena’s Path to WrestleMania 41 Revealed

John Cena’s road to WrestleMania 41 just got a whole lot clearer.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Cena is locked in for the Elimination Chamber match, with WWE planning for him to win and challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

“Cena vs. WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41, with Cena winning the Elimination Chamber, was the plan since probably October or November for one of the main events—with the story of Cena going for the record 17th world title,” Meltzer reported.

If this plan holds, Cena will be chasing history, looking to break Ric Flair’s record and claim his 17th world championship. With 33 dates left on his WWE contract, the belief is that once he wraps up filming Matchbox in Hungary, Cena will become “almost a regular weekly character” leading into WrestleMania 41.

Meltzer also weighed in on the possibility of Cena actually dethroning Rhodes, explaining that while it would be an unconventional choice, WWE isn’t concerned about traditional booking logic when it comes to WrestleMania.

“Cena, in his final year, having an emotional passing of the torch while losing and endorsing Rhodes would have been best for business had this come up any other year. The older retiring guy putting over the current biggest star. But it really doesn’t matter. WrestleMania is setting records no matter what you put on, and putting the title on a part-timer like Cena is really just fine because at this point, it’s about making moments.”

Cena vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 would be a monumental clash, with the legacy of WWE’s biggest championship hanging in the balance. But if Cena walks into Philadelphia with the chance to break the all-time record, the question remains—will WWE actually pull the trigger?

Should WWE put the world title on John Cena for a record-breaking 17th reign, or should Cody Rhodes continue his championship run? Drop your thoughts in the comments!