Explained: THAT Firefly Fun House Match From WrestleMania 36

John Cena nWo
WWE

Decked out in full nWo regalia - after puppet Vince declared the scene "such good sh*t!" - he beat the piss out of Bray Wyatt, having finally embraced the hatred of the fans.

But, in a stunning bit of editing, it was revealed that this was the same old John Cena in his denim jorts and colourful arm bands. Wyatt wasn't on the end of the beating; Huskus the Pig Boy was. But then, Huskus and Bray are one and the same, just like John Cena and his heel shadow self.

This - incredibly - was the second seminal double-turn in the history of WrestleMania, and if it wasn't a traditional turn per se, it was a stunning reckoning of the John Cena character from which there is no turning back. Cena allowed Wyatt to depict him as the heel he always was - an in-canon continuation, perhaps, of the contrition Cena has shown in recent years, particularly the hypocrisy he displayed in the build to WrestleMania XXVIII. This was a meta reconstruction - and admission - of the crimes Cena was for years charged with, and this cut was the key moment.

Huskus the Pig Boy wasn't a puppet in that scene.

CONT'D...(4 of 5)

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!