The conclusion of the 2005 Royal Rumble wasn't intentional. Both John Cena and Batista tumbled out at around the same time, which wasn't the original plan. Eventually, after Vince McMahon had come to ringside to rectify the situation, Batista tossed Cena over the top rope and secured his slot at WrestleMania. Despite the result, Cena would work a World Title match at 'Mania too. Defeating Kurt Angle, Cena became the number one contender to JBL's WWE Title. The match was much-anticipated, and it felt certain that the booking squad would make Cena their new title holder on the big event. Speaking later, JBL said he was only too happy to do the job, because he realised that John was the future of the entire company. At WrestleMania 21, Cena did emerge victorious. Something which may surprise newer wrestling fans is that the win was greeted with a thunderous ovation from the crowd. At this point, the people were still very much in Cena's corner, and there had been a lot of anticipation that he'd finally become a full-time main event player. Such good vibes weren't to last.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
