John Cena and Cody Rhodes are set for a huge WrestleMania re-match at SummerSlam, and the American Nightmare is getting the mind games in early.
The two men have been feuding since Cena turned heel by attacking Rhodes at Elimination Chamber in March.
Rhodes has been frank about Cena’s WWE retirement tour, and now he’s sending subtle messages to the 17-time champion.
WWE fans think Rhodes has just sent a ‘crazy’ subtle dig to his SummerSlam rival ahead of their much-anticipated bout.
Fans stunned as Cody Rhodes chats to John Cena’s ex on podcast
Rhodes’ latest episode of his podcast ‘What Do You Want To Talk About?’ featured WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella as a guest.
The icon was in a high-profile relationship with Cena throughout the 2010s and fans believe Rhodes has taken a subtle dig at his rival.
“They are trying to gossip about Cena,” said one fan on X who clearly spotted the shared history between Bella and Cena.
“I just understood why John Cena is attacking Cody Rhodes,” another joked upon the announcement of the podcast.
Another fan said: “He’s looking to send a message to John Cena by chatting to his ex-girlfriend,” while one wrote: “This is crazy considering what he recently did to Cena!”
“Cena’s ex?” another asked on social media, before adding: “He’s truly trying to send a message to the champ now.”
Cena defeated Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 to become a record-setting 17-time World Champion within WWE.
Their re-match is widely expected to be won by Rhodes, and Cena is widely anticipated to start his babyface turn at the event.
Cody Rhodes has a terrible singles record against John Cena
Rhodes may have picked up a pinfall victory in his Money in the Bank tag team bout against Cena alongside Jey Uso and Logan Paul, but he’s yet to defeat the 17-time champion in singles competition.
Cena won their first bout via DQ after a 10-minute bout in 2009 and followed it up with a two-minute win on WWE Raw in 2013.
The pair also met for the United States Championship in 2015 as Rhodes’ alias Stardust lost to Cena yet again.
Cena went four for four by picking up the controversial victory at WrestleMania 41, so Rhodes will need to buck the trend at SummerSlam.