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LAS VEGAS – John Cena and Coy Rhodes had one final confrontation on Friday night in the final "SmackDown" episode before their WrestleMania 41 matchup at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Cena and Rhodes traded shots at each other, as they’ve been doing for weeks. For a moment, Rhodes was on the receiving end of some boos from the crowd at the T-Mobile Arena. Cen had a reminder for the "American Nightmare."
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John Cena enters during Cody Rhode's Promo during Friday-night Smackdown at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images)
"On Sunday to beat you, I don’t have to wrestle," Cena told Rhodes as he chopped him in the head.
Cena then attempted to put Rhodes into his signature Attitude Adjustment maneuver but Rhodes countered and hit the 16-time WWE champion with a Cross Rhodes and left Cena on his back in the middle of the ring.
It was the final message sent before their epic match on Night 2 of WWE’s premier live event.
Rhodes told Fox News Digital in the days leading up to WrestleMania that facing Cena was a "first-time-ever" experience for him because of the turn Cena has made away from the fans.
"I look at a lot of stuff now, like John and my match at WrestleMania 41. I really look at it like it’s the first time ever," Rhodes explained. "John was somebody who came in and, not right away, but he did find his footing quickly in terms of who John Cena was going to be, and he waved that flag and carried his brand very firmly, very in a disciplined manner for as long as he did.
WRESTLEMANIA 41 NIGHT 2 WILL SEE JOHN CENA TRYING TO MAKE HISTORY AGAINST CODY RHODES
"Really helped pull the wagon at WWE during a transitional period as well. I feel like he’s always been that John for me – good guy or bad guy. You needed to work as hard, if not harder, and you need to get to his level, otherwise he was going to step over you and then leave you in the dust."
Rhodes added that he never would have thought Cena would have turned heel during his career, being that he’d been beloved by fans for so long.
Cody Rhodes stands over John Cena during Friday-night Smackdown at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Mike Owens /WWE via Getty Images)
"So, now, looking at the matchup, that’s why I say it feels like a first-time-ever for me, because early in my career, I hadn’t found my footing. I didn’t know who I was," he said. "And now, especially judging from these past several interactions in the ring, I feel like we do know who each other are now. . . . I couldn’t have put it in my wildest dreams that this would be a WrestleMania headline match and main event, especially under the circumstances it’s come under. But that’s the beautiful thing about pro wrestling; it’s too tough to call."
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WrestleMania 41 Night 2 is set for Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. Should Cena win, it would be a record-breaking 17th WWE title for him.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
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