John Cena, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, LA Knight, Ron Killings Segment
John Cena: Wrestling’s Mount Rushmore. It’s John Cena, John Cena, John Cena, John Cena. Yes, there have been great wrestlers. Yes, there have been great talkers, but no one in the past, certainly no one in the present, and no one in the future is even comparable to me. And the very reason I’ll always out maneuver you, it’s not because I never give up, no, it’s because I’m smarter than you. You can’t see me, you all want to be me. And whether you’re my opponent, whether you’re watching at home, or mesmerized by me in this very arena, I am always a thousand steps ahead of you, because you’re simply worried about right here, right now, when I won this moment, right now, over a year ago. You see, I announced my retirement early, so I could have six months to scout my most likely opponents. I knew anyone could enter the Royal Rumble, so I entered. I also knew that, if I lost the Rumble, I could use my seniority to guarantee a spot in the Elimination Chamber. I also knew in that Chamber, Punk and Rollins would meltdown, giving me an easy win. And on that night, Cody Rhodes focus was on The Final Boss, so all I had to, seize the moment, shock the world, and become an unpredictable opponent. Then, all I did was use Cody’s obsession with being loved and passion for the grand stage to guarantee myself a WrestleMania win. I used your fanfare for a 25-year-old rivalry in Randy Orton’s hometown, to lull him into a false sense of security. I put R-Truth in the main event, so all of you would care, and you took the bait.
And while you wasted your time trying to save truth, I form an alliance with Logan Paul, making him no longer a threat, and I bought myself just enough time to size up my next opponent in CM Punk. I used CM Punk’s rebelliousness nature and sociopathic self-confidence to back him into a corner, where now if CM Punk really wants to take this, he has to admit to himself that he’s a hypocrite. And I don’t have to worry about Mr. Money In The Bank, Seth Rollins will never cash in on me holding this. Seth Rollins wants me to leave with this, because when he cashes in, he’s your only champion. Do you get it now? I’m the greatest of all-time for a reason. Oh, come on, while you’ve been busy using your pathetic brains, whipping up fake stories about whether or not I sold my soul, all I do is simply put the math in my favor. I win matches before they even start. And in 25 years, I’ve crunched every number, solved every puzzle, and cracked every code. And thank god I don’t need your appreciation, because you won’t realize how good I am till three years after I’m gone. This is the greatest moment of your life, and to me, you’re simply just a mathematical equation. And the math says, there will be no one ever worthy to earn the right to hold this, again.
Cody Rhodes: Oh, man, what did you just say? That you’re a thousand steps ahead, that you’re too smart? No, you’re not just smart, he’s a genius. It’s unfortunate that everything you’ve said has come to fruition. You’re right, Seth and Punk, they melted down. You’re right, I was distracted by The Final Boss, and I took my eyes off the prize. You’re right, you used Randy’s hometown advantage against him. You’re right, Mount Rushmore, absolutely sure. But here you are with this 25-year master plan, and there’s this parallel, there’s this variable that you didn’t account for. It’s very simple, you laid out your whole story since you’ve been back, 25-year master plan, right? Why didn’t you include the simple fact that, this past Saturday, you were looking up in the lights, and I pinned you in the center of this ring? I’m not part of your plan, you’re a part of mine. So, John Rushmore, where does that leave you and I?
Randy Orton: Anybody and everybody that had a pulse that saw you and I fight in St. Louis at Backlash, saw that I had you beaten in this ring, I had you down and out, I had you dead to rights, I was about to remove your head from your shoulders until somebody, somebody decided to come save the day. I realized now, I have to do whatever it takes, it doesn’t matter what it is, it doesn’t matter who I have to go through to get Number 15. Even if it means being in the King Of The Ring Tournament, I don’t care who it is I have to go through. Cody, I love you like a brother, and you know that, but if I have to put your ass down to get that punk, I will not hesitate to do it.
LA Knight: Let me talk to you. You know, all week long, I’ve heard the whole damn world say, We Want LA Knight. So, I know what y’all want, and I know for damn sure what none of y’all want, and that’s me walking down here. So, why don’t we take a walk, because I understand what this is. Defiantly, as I walk out here, I’m looking at the WWE Establishment, and I know that. I’m the sore thumb standing out here, and I like it that way. YEAH! But you got to understand something, you see, Cena, you have this great little master plan of yours, my god, you’re a genius, you did it all, but I know for damn sure your plans didn’t include this man. YEAH! So, let’s go ahead and throw that plan out on his head, because here’s how it goes down, my man. King Of The Ring is right around the corner, and what that means is, I get a shot at you (Cody), I get a shot at you (Randy), I got a shot at you (Cena), all on the way to taking what’s mine. So, if that means that, unbreakable as I walk in there, I gotta drop a Viper, I gotta drop a Nightmare, and if I have to drop a genius, balding bitch, John Cena, I will be the WWE Champion, with everybody saying, LA Knight. YEAH!
– John Cena walks out of the ring. Ron Killings attacks Cena on the stage. Killings had to be restrained by the security guards to close this segment.
– After the commercial break, we see John Cena getting into a shouting match with Nick Aldis.
First Match: Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. LA Knight vs. Aleister Black In A First Round Match In The 2025 King Of The Ring Tournament
Hayes kicks Black in the gut. Haymaker Exchange. Hayes whips Black across the ring. Black holds onto the ropes. Black kicks Hayes in the face. Black dumps Hayes out of the ring. Orton backs Knight into the turnbuckles. Hayes whips Black into the ringside barricade. Orton kicks Knight in the gut. Knight with a bodyshot. Hayes rolls Knight over for a two count. Orton with two toe kicks. Hayes gets treated like a punching bag. Knight clotheslines Hayes over the top rope. Black with The Orihara MoonSault. Orton denies The BFT. Knight blocks The RKO. Knight avoids The Black Mass. Hayes regains control of the match during the commercial break. Knight with an Inverted Atomic Drop. Knight clotheslines Hayes. Knight is putting the boots to Hayes and Orton. Hayes SuperKicks Knight. Hayes ducks a clothesline from Black Hayes drops Black with The La Mistica. Hayes with a Top Rope Stunner to Knight. Hayes with a Guillotine Leg Drop. Hayes knocks Orton off the ring apron. Black whips Hayes across the ring. Hayes with a Springboard Clothesline. Hayes poses for the crowd.
Hayes lands The SomerSault Plancha. Hayes continues to gloat. Knight with The Wrecking Ball Dropkick. Knight dribbles Hayes head on the announce table. Orton goes for a Belly to Back Suplex, but Knight lands back on his feet. Orton blocks a boot from Black. Orton with a Belly to Back Suplex on the announce table. Knight drives Orton ribs first into the ring apron. Knight rolls Hayes back into the ring. Knight stomps on Hayes chest. Knight puts Hayes on the top turnbuckle. Knight and Hayes are trading back and forth shots. Hayes attacks the midsection of Knight. Hayes sends Knight crashing into the canvas. Orton with a running haymaker. Hayes rakes the eyes of Orton. Black with a Step Up Kick to Hayes. Black dumps Orton out of the ring. Orton pulls Black out of the ring. Black sends Orton face first into the steel ring post. Hayes blocks The Box Jump SuperPlex.
Hayes with The Frog Splash for a two count. Black has control of the match during the commercial break. Black with a Rising Knee Strike. Black with a Step Up Enzuigiri. Black dives over Knight. Black with a Discus Back Elbow Smash. Black denies The RKO. Black goes for The Black Mass, but Orton holds onto the ropes. Black kicks Orton in the face. Black blocks The BFT. Black scores the elbow knockdown. Black delivers his combination offense to Hayes for a two count. Orton with two clotheslines. Orton ducks a clothesline from Black. Orton with Three Powerslams. Orton kicks Black in the gut. Orton goes for The Double Draping DDT, but Knight counters with a Leaping NeckBreaker for a two count. Hayes blocks The BFT. Orton ducks a clothesline from Knight. Knight blocks The RKO. Hayes delivers The First 48. Black with The Big Boot. Knight hits The BFT for a two count. Knight kicks Hayes in the gut. Knight whips Hayes across the ring. Knight Powerslams Hayes. Knight prepares for The Megastar Elbow. Bronson Reed drives Knight shoulder first into the top rope. Bron Breakker Spears Knight. Hayes goes for The Frog Splash on Knight, but Orton counters with The RKO to pickup the victory.