WWE Raw results, highlights (Mar. 31): John Cena crushed by Cody Rhodes after epic promo battle

WrestleMania 41 is right around the corner as WWE finishes its European tour. Every locale on the trek has been spoiled by tremendous shows and Monday's final event in London was no different.

"WWE Raw" opened with the best interaction yet between John Cena and Cody Rhodes before a big-time Women's World Championship rematch. All of the major storylines are rounding out nicely as we approach WrestleMania 41, and things should only magnify in these final few weeks.

Now we're cooking

OK, WWE continuing to present heel Cena with all of usual accoutrements has officially become annoying. Maybe that's the point, though? It's just all weird right now. That's the best way to describe it.

Our Cena appearance in London wasted no time as Monday's "WWE Raw" kickoff segment. Before Cena could even speak, Rhodes made his way to the ring and absolutely went scorched earth on the microphone. The self-deprecation angle Rhodes played into elicited "Stardust" and "you can't wrestle" chants, plus AEW and Vince McMahon references. I mean, what a weird — but good — time it is in wrestling. Rhodes is banging on every single cylinder imaginable in this feud because he is electric.

Cena leaned heavily into being the burial artist he was criticized as being during the later stages of his full-time WWE run. And y'all, he was on fire — far more so than in his previous heel segments — getting to actually speak face-to-face with Rhodes. Although it was great, Cena as a heel very clearly feels like he's acting. His persona we've all grown used to felt natural, even when he started in WWE as the heel rapper character. Again, this might be an aesthetic problem more than anything. 

There is still one dark cloud of a problem looming over all of this. The Rock has still been completely abandoned from all of this, which couldn't be any more illogical. Rhodes mentioned him once with a sellout line, but for "The Final Boss" to vanish entirely from one of the most prominent angles of all time — which he set up — is dumb. He'll come back or reemerge, probably at WrestleMania 41, so how does that element get dropped thus far? Presumably because of The Rock's busy schedule. (Maybe that's why you shouldn't involve someone who can't be consistent, WWE.)

Ultimately, ...