Following the Elimination Chamber event concluded by the shocking heel turn by John Cena aligning with The Rock, WWE’s PLE post show began, featuring both paneled conversation, event highlights, and press conference Q&A featuring Triple H, John Cena, and The Rock.
Below are highlights transcribed from the press conference sections of the event.
Triple H kicks off the press conference. Thanks the city of Toronto, Rogers Center and Scotiabank, along with the fans. Touts that Elimination Chamber was the highest grossing WWE event in Canada – a country that has hosted multiple WrestleManias. Touts an attendance of 38,493, and strong viewership across Peacock and Netflix.
Puts over all the wrestlers on the card. No longer any regard for kayfabe in these summaries, citing an uncertain timeline on when they could pay off the Jade Cargill story, and that John Cena is challenging himself as a performer with this heel turn.
After concluding the event summary, Triple H begins fielding questions:
Jan Murphy, Toronto Sun: “Is Toronto still a viable market for a WrestleMania return?
Paul Levesque: “I think all markets are. That’s a different animal now, that includes a bidding process, and everything that goes into it. It is such a massive business. Hundreds of millions of dollars pour into the city that brings WrestleMania in. The economic impact that we have going into a city anywhere on the globe with something the scale of WrestleMania, it is an incredible windfall for them. Any place that has a vibrant fan base and a building like this, like the Rogers Center that we can go into, and pack it with a lot of people from all over the globe. It is definitely on the list.
Emily Mae, Sporskeeda Wrestling: “We saw this intense attack. You touched on it a little, do you agree it was the right moment for John Cena to do this and attack Cody Rhodes, and do you have any updates on Cody’s Status after tonight’s attack?”
Paul Levesque: “I believe John Cena has been in this business and has been a focal point of his business, dedicated his life to it, put his body on the line to a point he has earned the right to do it whenever he wants to. I believed wholeheartedly a month ago when he said at the Royal Rumble, “screw that, I will do what is best for business and I’ve changed my mind, what is best for business is me winning the WWE Championship. What’s best for business is me main eventing WrestleMania,” and he is running out of time to do that.”
Chamatkar Sandhu, Screen Off Script: “”Could you provide insight on what this entire creative process was like for you, the individuals involved, what was the genesis for this segment, and how you think everything landed.”
Paul Levesque: “”I’m a big proponent of collaboration. I want all the ideas, I want to throw them on the table, look at all of them and begin to have conversations around, what is the best thing, then think of, out of those things, how can we tear those up, and blow them up, go in a completely different direction nobody will see? It’s hard to think of things nobody sees, because nobody sees it, right? That includes you when you’re doing it. At some point in time, little germs of ideas come in. It begins to percolate.
I’m fortunate in this timeframe I have some of the great minds to work with. Dwayne and I have been working together for almost 30 years in some manner. He’s always been an epic storyteller, and an epic guy to get outside of the box, and let’s do something different? How can we blow this up and change expectations? How can we make this something no one’s ever seen before. It’s easy to go “I saw this once, let’s do this angle.” That’s easy. Going into uncharted waters, trying things that haven’t been done before, or done in a different way, things people will not see coming. That is different, and more challenging. You need everybody’s ideas and thought processes. It starts with a bunch of people coming up with great ideas to try to entertain our fans, and lead them in a direction, and trick them with the other direction. If we can do that
They want this to be epic. We start from there and it escalates. It is a team effort I am proud of.”
Keith Whittier, Ottawa Life Magazine: “”As the product continues to grow, how far away are you from pulling the trigger and saying we’re just doing stadiums for PLEs, and perhaps two nights for all PLEs?”
Paul Levesque: ““Part of me wants to slap the crap out of you for asking that. [laughter] I am not doing two night pay-per-views once a month. It is too much. Stadium shows, when we have stadium shows, Elimination Chamber is not historically a stadium show and here we are tonight. We are on a hell of a run right now, when we can do the biggest business. There are some moments where you feel this is going to be big, this needs to be bigger than the arena. That said, not everything can be here. Not every PLE can be here. If you do, they are not special.
Keith Whittier, continued: “”As we go into WrestleMania, it looks like Cody Rhodes will be in the Main Event for Night Two, what is the possibility of one of the women’s championships being on night one?”
Paul Levesque: “To me, nothing is locked into any spot. To me, it’s always possible. As we build this, to me, nothing is locked into any spot. As we build this, what resonates most will become the main events. Nothing is locked in. I believe that for talent, that is the best way to do it. Let everybody fight over the spot. Let everybody work their ass off.
When I put them in main events it’s because of that. They earned that and have earned the right through hard work and sacrifice and dedication like everybody else. To be treated like everybody else and work to get what they want. I don’t treat them any differently. The reason I don’t treat them any differently is because I respect them too much to do it that way.”
John Cena enters the press conference. Instead of fielding questions, he dismounts the microphone, before emphatically dropping said microphone, as per the well recognized turn of phrase. Exeunt, John Cena.
The Rock entering the scrum, drinking Teremana, because of course he is. Carrying the blood-smeared “Cody’s Soul” branded weight belt. Rock cites a fun night, and immediately starts taking questions.
Denise Salcedo, Instinct Culture: “Talk to us about how you felt in the moment, and coming out of it of course, and seeing this different side of John Cena.”
Dwayne Johnson: “It was an amazing moment. We as entertainers, whether in pro-wrestling or film or television, you live for moments like that. You can hopefully create something compelling and moving for the audience.
Overall I thought the performances by everybody across the board, all the women and men, they put it out there. I’m very proud of them. I know their schedule, I lived it, I understand the grind of the schedule. What everybody was able to do, from the opening match to the final match, was phenomenal. I was very proud of everybody, what a night it was.”
Sam Roberts, notsam: “Are we to take The Final Boss as a baby face, a heel? At this point, who is The Final Boss?”
Dwayne Johnson: “I feel that might be limiting, because The Final Boss is a lot of things, a heel, a baby face, but also one who does not adhere to the professional wrestling tropes that we find, of a heel talks like this or a face talks like this. I’ve reached a point of my career where I’m able to go out as a Final Boss and address the crowd […] I like vacillating between the heel and the baby face.
I’ve also reached a point in my career where I feel really comfortable in my own skin when I go out there on film or whatever it is I do. I say what I want to say, but more importantly, that I don’t mean to be defiant. I say what I feel. In that moment that is the luxury and blessing of being in pro-wrestling. We have a live microphone and you can say what you feel. And in that moment if I feel like having fun with the crowd, I do. If I tell them to shut up, I like that.
I encourage that where we can, and that goes for all the other talent in the locker room, women and men, if we can find that space, that is a special place, a rare air. Don’t think about ‘a heel should say this, or a babyface should say this. That’s old school. And it worked for decades and decades but today, it’s okay, stretch the aperture out. Say what you feel.”
Adrian Hernandez, Unlikely: “Do you have a message for the fans on what to expect on this road to WrestleMania
Dwayne Johnson: “I do. I think they can expect the unpredictable. I think they can expect exciting stories to unfold. I also want to encourage the fans, whether they are hardcore fans or not, to just enjoy the product. Take your time, take a breath, it’s all going to unfold. It’s okay. Not everybody will like everything we present, and that’s okay too!
I’m excited about WrestleMania. I was excited about last year’s WrestleMania. We created that dual main event over the course of two nights. I’m excited about every WrestleMania. This one is different. This one is unique. And I can’t wait.”
Raj Prashad, UPROXX Sports: “
Dwayne Johnson: “… yes. [laughter] That is why we are doing it. That is a great question. I love Travis, that is my guy. I feel professional wrestling has always found it’s unique place in culture throughout the decades. We rememberr Rock N Wrestling, Cyndi Lauper and Hulk Hogan. Wrestling has had a place in the culture for some time.
We also have an opportunity to bring Travis Scott and form a union, an alliance with The Final Boss and Travis Scott. He wanted to get his hands bloody, and I whispered to him ‘if you’re going to get your hands bloody, make it count.’ And he slapped the s–t out of Cody tonight! [laughter]
MuscleManMalcolm, Muscle Memory: After a long night of taking John Cena’s soul, I’m sure you want to get some good eats. What is your Waffle House order?
Dwayne Johnson: “Waffle House? I will go a dozen eggs, only 10 whites, two whole eggs. I will do hashbrows, waffle, scattered, smothered, covered. You’re excited about Waffle House, man. We are going to remove you in about 30 seconds out of this room. [laughter] I would say that I’m a jukebox junkie. Anytime I can go to a place with a jukebox, that is my jam.
