“Tell the Old Man”: John Cena Seemingly Sent Vince McMahon a Message Through Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania XL

Cody Rhodes ended the Tribal Chief’s reign of more than 1300 days after defeating Roman Reigns and becoming a world champion in WWE for the first time. In this quest, John Cena, who was the previous face of the company for nearly a decade, made a surprise appearance to take down Solo Sikoa and help Rhodes ‘finish his story’.

Now, with a new era beginning, everything points to The American Nightmare becoming the new face of the company. The post-match celebration recorded the fans and other baby faces cherishing the moment and Cena was seen running out of the ring to greet his fans. In this process, one of the familiar faces seen in the audience was Stephanie McMahon.

The Cenation leader couldn’t help but remember his ex-boss, Vince McMahon, when he greeted Stephanie McMahon. In the video, John Cena was heard telling Stephanie as he hugged her, “Tell the old man I said hi”. But does her sudden appearance hint at her return to WWE?

It’s been close to 15 months since Stephanie McMahon left the company after her father forced his return to the company early last year. A move that caused a climate of unease in the WWE roster (including talents), where she was a well-loved and respected figure. However, her surprise attendance on Night 2 of WrestleMania 40, surely sparked some debate. There is no official confirmation about her return as of now, but her husband, Triple H, who is WWE’s chief content officer, felt “great to have her back home.” 

Triple H could barely hide his excitement to have Stephanie’s presence and further added, “… To have her back here, to see the doubt leave her by being here for the last few days, to see her confidence come back… And as much as anybody on the planet, she belongs here. And hopefully she knows that now…”

However, that night was special for many, Stephanie’s attendance, Cody’s victory, the Undertaker’s appearance, and Cena’s assist. But do you know that Cena also had a message for Cody Rhodes?

Cena reveals the championship will get heavier every day

After the match, the WWE legend and the American Nightmare had an exchange of words. In which John Cena gave Rhodes some advice. On a recent edition of The Pat McAfee Show podcast, Cena revealed what he said to Cody Rhodes after The American Nightmare defeated Roman Reigns. Besides congratulating him, The Champ also explained the immense responsibility that comes with being a WWE World Champion.

Cena said, “I told him in the ring at WrestleMania 40, I’m sure he’ll relay this message when I got to embrace him. He had the championship in his right hand. I said, ‘Do you feel that?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you feel how heavy it is?’ ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘It will get heavier every day.’ That is the burden you bear trying to craft the path to being the greatest of all time.”

Cena again surprised fans in the post-WrestleMania episode of Monday Night Raw. R-Truth and The Miz faced off against The Judgment Day. Truth revealed that they had a third partner. Thus resulting in a 3 vs. 3 tag team match. But the third partner was nowhere to be seen. With the match already well underway, John Cena made a surprise appearance to support Awesome Truth. And then they took the victory. Though Cena was only in the ring for a few minutes, it was enough for the crowd in the arena and R-Truth to enjoy the moment. In the future fans surely would be hoping to see more of the WWE superstar.

Should Cena return for another run in the company? Let us know in the comments.