The lights pulsed with the roar of the crowd, and I stood at Cody’s side, shoulder to shoulder with my best friend, the energy between us charged and unshakable. The backstage monitors flickered behind us, showing the stadium full of signs and faces, people chanting his name—waiting for him.
His theme hit. That iconic drumbeat, the guitar riff that sent the WWE Universe into an eruption of cheers. I glanced at Cody and he gave me that boyish grin, the one that always said, “We’re doing this. No turning back.”
“You ready?” he asked.
I smirked. “Born ready, Code.”
We bumped fists, and the curtain parted as we stepped through into the blinding lights. I mouthed along with the crowd, singing every word of his entrance: “Adrenaline…in my soul…Every fight out of control…” My voice blended with thousands, and I saw Cody glance sideways at me with a grin. This was our moment. Our battle cry before the storm.
In the ring, the chants slowly quieted as we grabbed our mics. Cody raised his to speak, but before he could even take a breath—
“YOUR TIME IS UP, MY TIME IS NOW!”
That familiar beat dropped, and the whole crowd exploded. Half cheering, half booing. The chant was instant.
“LET’S GO CENA!”
“CENA SUCKS!”
I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly saw the back of my head. “Of course,” I muttered under my breath, lowering my mic just slightly. “Can’t let us have five seconds, huh?”
Cody chuckled softly beside me. “You knew he’d show.”
“Yeah, but a girl can dream.”
Cena made his way down the ramp like he always did—bold, confident, soaking in the reaction like a sponge. But there was something different now. The warmth was gone. His eyes scanned the arena, but they didn’t sparkle like they used to. He wasn’t their hero anymore. He was The Rock’s soldier. He climbed the steps, entered the ring, and locked eyes with Cody. Then he glanced at me.
The cheers from the Universe were thunderous behind us, but the ring felt like it had shrunk the moment John Cena stood across from us. That trademark intensity burned behind his eyes, but it wasn’t the fire of a hero anymore—it was something colder. Focused. Distant. “Angel,” he greeted, voice level and unreadable.
“John,” I replied, matching his tone. “Nice of you to show up. I almost thought you’d stay in The Rock’s shadow a little longer.”
That line hit the crowd like a live wire. A ripple of “OHHHH”s and laughter echoed through the arena. But John didn’t flinch. He just tilted his head slightly, like he was debating whether I was worth responding to.
“I didn’t come here for banter,” he finally said, his voice like steel. “I came here because Cody’s standing in the way of progress. And I’m not about to let this company fall into chaos just because he refuses to evolve.”
Cody stepped forward, every muscle in his jaw tight. “Evolve? You think aligning yourself with The Rock—someone who treats this place like his personal playground—is progress?”
Cena turned toward him fully, slowly, like a storm winding up. “What The Rock is doing is bigger than all of us. He’s building something. He’s taking this company into a future it deserves. You, Cody, you’re just trying to relive a dream that should’ve ended two years ago. You're stuck in this fantasy where the Universe still matters, where the locker room is one big family, and where this ring stands for something pure.”
I couldn’t keep quiet. I stepped between them, planting myself in front of Cena. “No. What Cody is doing is fighting for this—the Universe, the heart of this ring, the people who never stopped believing. You used to stand for something, John. What happened to hustle, loyalty, and respect?”
His eyes narrowed. “They’re still in here,” he said, tapping his chest. “Just focused where they belong.”
I shook my head, stepping closer. “No. They’re buried under pride and bitterness. But deep down, I think you know you’re wrong. You’re just too afraid to admit it.”
Cody gently placed a hand on my arm to steady me, his voice calm but firm. “I didn’t come out here to fight you with words, John. I came out here to finish what we started. You want to talk about building something? I’m building a future—not just for me, but for every person in the crowd who still believes that hard work means something.”
The crowd exploded with cheers again, chanting his name. And that’s when Cena snapped. “Oh, spare me the lovefest!” he shouted, stepping forward and pointing out at the crowd. “This ‘Universe’ you two keep worshipping? They don’t give a damn about you. They cheer you one minute, and the second something shinier comes along, they toss you aside like yesterday’s news. I spent years sacrificing my body, my time, my life for them—and for what? To hear ‘Cena sucks’ every time I walked through that curtain? To have people who once held up signs that said ‘Never Give Up’ now boo me because I decided I’m worth more than their fleeting approval?”
The arena was a storm of mixed reactions now—some booing, some stunned into silence. “They don’t care about the long haul,” Cena continued, voice rising. “They don’t care about loyalty. They want spectacle. They want winners. The Rock sees that. He gets it. He’s building something that won’t crumble under their hypocrisy. And if you think standing in front of them with your little speeches and fist bumps makes you some kind of hero? You're more delusional than I thought.”
The air felt heavy, like the entire arena had paused to breathe. Cody stood silent for a moment, eyes fixed on John. Then he raised his mic. “You’re wrong,” he said softly, but with a conviction that cut deeper than any shout. “The WWE Universe didn’t turn their back on you—you turned your back on them. And you know what? Yeah, they booed you. They cheered you. They debated about you. But they always showed up. Because they believed in you. And you took that belief and threw it in their faces.”
He stepped forward, standing tall. “This company isn’t perfect. But it’s built on passion. On dreams. On people willing to give everything just to have a moment in this ring. The Rock doesn’t care about that—he never did. But I do. Angel does. And so does every person in the back who still shows up every week and fights their heart out.”
I raised my mic again, my heart pounding. “John, I know it hurts. I know what it feels like to give everything and still feel like it’s not enough. But you’ve let that hurt twist you. The Rock… he doesn’t care about hustle, loyalty, or respect. He doesn’t care about this company, or the fans, or the brotherhood we built here. He cares about two things—money and power. That’s it.”
I took a breath, locking eyes with him. “You once stood for something bigger. You inspired people. You were the guy who never gave up—who told people like me that fighting for what’s right was always worth it. That friends, family, and the WWE Universe mattered more than anything. And now? Now you’re wearing his colors and parroting his lies. But you’re not too far gone, John. I know it. Cody knows it.”
Cody stepped closer, standing beside me again. “And when you’re ready to remember who you really are, we’ll still be here.”
The crowd rose to their feet, a sea of voices behind us, chanting louder than before. “CODY! CODY!”
We stood there together, facing him—not with fists, but with truth. And even if John couldn’t hear it tonight... he would. One day. Because we weren’t just fighting for the WWE Universe; we stood with the WWE Universe.
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