Backstage reaction to John Cena's heel promo & WWE RAW return: Report

The 16-time WWE World Champion made his return for the first time since turning heel!

The WWE universe was on its edge as they tuned in to watch the 03/17 episode of Monday Night Raw, which featured the return of John Cena since turning heel at Elimination Chamber and attacking Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

Cena aligned with The Rock at the Elimination Chamber PLE and battered Rhodes leaving him bruised and bloodied. This was a historic moment as the 16-time World Champion turned heel for the first time in his illustrious career.

Cena kicked off the 03/17 show of Monday Night Raw which emanated live from Forest National in Brussels, Belgium. The 16-time World Champion blasted the crowd for making him a puppet and claimed that he had been a victim of an abusive relationship.

"You don't get a new look. You don't get new music."– John Cena #WWE #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/028GDPOxOq

— KN Wrestling (@knwrestling) March 17, 2025

Cena clarified that he was not a babyface and neither a heel; he was a human being. He stated that the fans would get what they had earned, which was ‘nothing’ no new look, no new music, and the only thing they would get was a long look in the mirror to see how awful they had been to him for 25 years.

John Cena: "For the last 25 years I have been a victim, the victim of an abusive relationship! … All you've ever done is bully me into being your puppet and expect me to do it with a smile on my face, NO MORE!" #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/wd50w5u9KB

— KN Wrestling (@knwrestling) March 17, 2025

WWE backstage was thrilled with the reception John Cena got in Brussels

The reaction John Cena got in Brussels was nothing sort of iconic as the crowd roared and chanted drowning Cena in boos,  “f**k you Cena”, shut the f**k up” “You sold out!” “Cena’s a f**king b**ch”, and the iconic “Let’s go Cena!, Cen Sucks!”

Na na na na, hey hey hey, GOODBYE 🗣️Brussels, Belgium to John Cena #WWE #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/wvHzdeKNIs

— KN Wrestling (@knwrestling) March 17, 2025

Following the 03/17 episode of Raw, a new report from Fightful Select reveals the backstage reaction to the fans’ hostile nature towards a heel John Cena. According to the report, the promotion was “ecstatic” with the reception the 16-time World Champion got from the fans in Brussels.

Fightful further added that one source told them that the crowd was the “hottest TV environment they’ve experienced”. They also added that this could be a positive sign for the city to host more TV tapings in the future.

On the other hand, the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes got an overwhelmingly positive response from the Brussels crowd as they cheered him.

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