ConfirmedWWE

Cena Says WrestleMania 41 "Stunk Up the Joint"; Rhodes Responds

Summary: John Cena told Yahoo Sports' Uncrowned, in a story published Nov. 9, that he and Cody Rhodes "stunk up the joint" at WrestleMania 41. Rhodes answered on ESPN's UnSportsmanlike, reported Nov. 11: "okay, we stunk the joint out."

WrestlingNews.com Staff · 4 min read

The quick version

  • Cena said in an interview with Uncrowned, published Monday, Nov. 9, that he "took a big swing at WrestleMania and we stunk up the joint. We failed."
  • Rhodes answered on ESPN's UnSportsmanlike, per Wrestling Headlines on Nov. 11. He said Cena's remark "got me" after an emotional moment between them, and called it what "great mentors" do.
  • Both men are tied to the John Cena Classic on Monday, Dec. 14. Rhodes is its first named participant. We found no WWE comment on either set of remarks.

Cody Rhodes has answered John Cena's verdict on their WrestleMania 41 main event. Rhodes spoke on ESPN's UnSportsmanlike, and Wrestling Headlines reported his remarks on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. Cena's comment came two days earlier, in an interview with Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of Yahoo Sports' Uncrowned that was published at 2 PM UTC on Monday, Nov. 9. We did not hear the radio show and rely on the printed quotes.

What Cena said

Cena was talking about how he advises young wrestlers. "I remind them to swing big and don't be afraid to fail," he told Uncrowned. He then used his last year in the ring as the example: "I'll say I took a big swing at WrestleMania and we stunk up the joint. We failed."

He did not stop there. Cena said he "got back up" and "course-corrected the ship," and that the story ended in what he called "a fantastic finishing of the story, as Cody would put it, at SummerSlam." He also said, about his final match against Gunther in December 2025, that he appreciated "the bold swing at the end" and that the ending "sparked conversation and thought."

What Rhodes said

On UnSportsmanlike, Rhodes said Cena's remark caught him off guard, per Wrestling Headlines. He was talking about a warm moment first: "It got me. It got me." He then said, "he said something else this week where he said we stunk the joint out in Vegas at WrestleMania 41." He went on: "I had tears in my eyes standing there in Brooklyn with him. And the next thing you know, okay, we stunk the joint out. All right." Rhodes' phrase is "stunk the joint out," a small change from Cena's "stunk up the joint."

He framed the jab as mentoring. "That's what the great mentors do, though," he said, and added, "I'm mean to mine." Ringside News ties the "tears" line to the Raw moment where Cena introduced Rhodes as the first participant in the John Cena Classic. Wrestling Inc dates that call-out to the Nov. 2 Raw.

Why the match is the target

Cena beat Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas in April 2025 for his 17th world title, per Wrestling Headlines and Ringside News. The match followed Cena's heel turn on Rhodes at Elimination Chamber, which Wrestling Inc says drew praise at first and criticism later. By SummerSlam the heel turn had been dropped, per the same outlet, and Rhodes regained the title there.

What is not known

Cena framed the miss as a risk that did not land. He gave no cause, and Rhodes did not give one either. We found no WWE statement, and no mention in the printed quotes of any future match between them.

What to watch

Cena is advertised for SmackDown on Friday, Nov. 13, in Fort Lauderdale, to discuss the Classic, per WWE.com as quoted by F4W Online. See our story on his Classic comments and Rhodes on the Classic.

How we know

Source: Cena's words are from the Uncrowned story on Yahoo Sports, which we read as far as the page let us. Rhodes' words are as printed by Wrestling Headlines, and Ringside News prints the same opening lines and the context for the Nov. 2 Raw. We did not hear the UnSportsmanlike interview, and we did not find the audio. We did not contact WWE, Cena or Rhodes. Nothing in this story is a rumor.

John CenaCody RhodesWrestleMania 41SummerSlamJohn Cena ClassicUncrownedUnSportsmanlike

Sources

How we credit sources: Editorial standards.

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