00:30the never seen 17 john cena who has done so much with one of the greatest careers in history but
00:47he hasn't done in quite some time fighting a sanctioned stream like it'll be his third defense
00:53of the undisputed wwe championship at summer slam the rematch from wrestlemania and the first time
00:58since 2014 wade barrett that he takes part in a street fight match yeah and make no mistake this
01:06is a desperate john cena perhaps more desperate than ever before a john cena who tried his very best
01:15to get out of said street fight on summer slam sunday only to be denied in the process by cody
01:24roads those two will meet this sunday for the wwe championship and questions remain what kind of
01:33frame of mind is john cena in now
01:48is
01:55so
02:03Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the greatest of all time.
02:33The Never Seed 17, gracing Newark with his presence one final time.
02:47He is the last real champion, John Cena.
03:03The Never Seed 17, gracing Newark with his presence one final time.
03:21The Never Seed 17, gracing Newark with his presence one final time.
03:39The Never Seed 17, gracing Newark with his presence one final time.
03:46The Never Seed 17, gracing Newark with his presence one final time.
03:54The Never Seed 17, gracing Newark with his presence one final time.
04:03The Never Seed 17, gracing Newark with his presence one final time.
04:09It took Cody Rhodes slamming through John Cena at a table,
04:16grabbing his hand to put signature to contract.
04:22To get this out of the room,
04:25and to get this out of the room,
04:29and to get this out of the room, and to get this out of the room,
04:34and to get this out of the room.
04:37To get this championship rematch at SummerSlam.
04:41And since then, Wade, we've heard Cody take a new approach,
04:44a purposeful, anything-it-takes strategy,
04:48focused on winning back his goal.
04:51Well, John Cena took the gloves off a long time ago,
04:55back at the Elimination Chamber, in fact.
04:58So Cody Rhodes taking him off, too, as far as I'm concerned,
05:02is simply making this whole deal a fair fight.
05:06And about time, too, for QB1.
05:09A year and 13 days, Cody was champion.
05:17The past 100-plus days have been the toughest to take for many.
05:22Not just life without the title for Cody, but a WWE with this version of John Cena.
05:30I built my kingdom, now you bow to me.
05:33My dreams are not like me.
05:35You'll follow me into the air.
05:37I am my kingdom.
05:39You're bound to me.
05:41You'll follow me into the air.
05:43You're so much better.
05:44You're so much better.
05:45You're so much better.
05:46I'm so much better.
05:47You're so much better.
05:48You're so much better.
05:49I built my kingdom.
05:50Now you bow to me.
05:51My dreams are not like me.
05:53You'll follow me into the air.
05:57I am my kingdom.
05:59You turn me down, what you do?
06:29Cody Rhodes, I told you that I was exhausted.
06:57And that a match at SummerSlam would be too difficult for me.
07:04You didn't listen.
07:10You assaulted me.
07:13You forged my signature.
07:17And you forced me into one of the most dangerous matches in WWE on
07:24one of its grandest stages for its biggest championship.
07:30I only got one thing left to say to you.
07:42Cuz that was just the boot in the ass that I needed.
07:50For 25 years, day in and day out,
07:56I have forged a reputation off of hard work, honesty, and respect.
08:02And I now realize that five months ago I flushed it all down the toilet chasing
08:13false glory when I bought into somebody's crazy idea to make shocking TV.
08:18And we did, we shocked the world, we made great TV, but then the dust settles.
08:26And then everybody goes back to their normal lives.
08:30And the people that were supposed to be on my team, they left.
08:33And they left me alone, trying to pretend to be something I'm not.
08:44I want to leave here with this.
08:53After my last match, I wanna take this home with me.
09:04But it's not because I wanna ruin wrestling.
09:11Geez, you guys know, I don't wanna ruin wrestling, I love wrestling.
09:22I wanna take this home with me, so after I'm gone,
09:25you guys don't forget about me.
09:26I was so hung up on how you might see me tomorrow,
09:30that I forgot to realize how stupid I am acting today.
09:45And y'all tried to tell me, over and over again you tried to tell me, and I didn't listen.
09:52But you did what a good friend should do.
10:03You forced me to face it.
10:05You forced me into a fight.
10:07Not a match, a fight.
10:14Something that's gonna be brutal.
10:17Something that is gonna force me to dig down and be who I really am.
10:22Something that if I don't show up for war, I shouldn't show up at all.
10:27Mark your calendar, Cody, August 1st, 2025, Newark, New Jersey,
10:36the day that John Cena came back to the WWE.
10:41You hear that?
11:01I don't know who leaves with this on Sunday, but I do know who wins.
11:07Each and every one of you.
11:14Because I'm finally over my own BS and at long last,
11:18we get to see Cody Rhodes face off against the greatest of all time at my best.
11:27With something to prove in a main event street fight with no rules that you wanted.
11:34Well, if you want some, come get some.
11:43And on Sunday, the only platinum rapper showing up to whip your ass is me.
11:57The champ is here!
12:06The champ is here!
12:07The champ is here!
12:08You are!
12:09The champ is here!
12:11You are!
12:13You are!
12:21Come on, team!
12:24You are!
12:26You are!
12:57Welcome back, John Cena.
13:12This is incredible.
13:19He's back.
13:39The real John Cena that Cody wanted, he's getting him, Wade.
13:48What the hell just happened, Joe Tess?
13:52In a span of 15 minutes and 30 seconds, it went from a cascade of boos to the cheers and the standing ovation he received for two decades of well-earned work.
14:07John Cena declaring that Cody Rhodes gave him the wake-up call he needed, that he was stupid, that everybody tried to tell him.
14:18But being forced into a fight, he acknowledges he doesn't want to ruin wrestling.
14:24He wants to be who he's always been, and that he's over his own BS.
14:32John Cena is back.
14:35The wake-up call embraced by a massive crowd here the night before SummerSlam as Cody Rhodes grabs the beers and toasts to that.
14:47And it comes your way Sunday.
14:51Well, I kept waiting for John Cena to drop the hammer and cheap shot Cody Rhodes like this was yet another ruse.
14:59But apparently not, and this street fight on Sunday for the undisputed WWE Championship just got a whole hell of a lot more interesting because if the real John Cena truly is back, I promise you the mountain for Cody Rhodes just got a hell of a lot steeper this Sunday at SummerSlam.
15:23What a reception he received when he spoke those words as we continue with our first half hour of SmackDown.
15:30Commercial free on a night that will have limited commercials as we get you set for the historic two nights of SummerSlam.
15:37Mark it down, he said it, you heard Cena, August 1st, 2025, Newark, New Jersey, the day that John Cena came back to WWE.
15:53He said it, you heard Cena, August 1st, 2025, Newark, Newark, Newark, Newark, Newark, Newark, Newark, Newark, Newark.
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