At WWE WrestleMania 41, Cody Rhodes’ reign as Undisputed WWE Champion came to a dramatic end when he was defeated by John Cena in a shocking main event that closed out Night Two. The outcome left the Allegiant Stadium crowd stunned, as Rhodes, who had been a fighting champion, was unable to retain against the returning veteran.

Following the show, Cathy Kelley attempted to speak with Rhodes backstage. Clearly overwhelmed, Rhodes declined to comment, signaling that he was not yet ready to address what had transpired. When Joe Tessitore followed up with Kelley for insight into Cody’s emotional state, she shared:

“I mean it looks like he is very somber, he is devastated. He is still processing all of this. We talk about how hard he fought to get here and to watch it, just lose everything. Lose everything that he’s worked for.”

Rhodes’ loss ended his first-ever WWE World Championship run, which lasted an impressive 378 days. During that time, he successfully defended the title against top-tier competitors such as AJ Styles, Logan Paul, Solo Sikoa, and Kevin Owens. His crowning moment came at WrestleMania 40, where he completed his long journey by defeating Roman Reigns and ending the historic 1,316-day reign of the "Tribal Chief" as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

John Cena, now the new titleholder, has ominously declared his mission to “ruin wrestling” and claims this victory is only the beginning. According to Cena, his goal is to hold onto the championship until retirement, which would force WWE to create a new championship—what Cena has mockingly described as a “toy” for the rest of the roster to chase.

Cody Rhodes heading back to his bus after the Main Event.

This is a different side of Cody we haven’t seen….#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/73SKcV2PbG

— #WeWantCody (@WeWantCody_) April 21, 2025