WWE NXT Star Appears To Make 'Main Roster Debut' In SmackDown Main Event Segment
Tonight, for the last time in his career, John Cena will hold his first title defense, since winning the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41 last month, against long-time (25-year) on again, off again adversary, Randy Orton. On last night's "WWE SmackDown," Cena put his final verbal digs in on Orton before being jumped by two masked figures. While the Dayton, Ohio, crowd figured the second hooded man was Cena's opponent for tonight, who was the first man that snuck up on and attempted to attack "The Last Real Champion?"
According to Rony Mac on X (formerly known as Twitter), they provided pictures of Cena's first attacker, and based on the zoomed in shots of the tattoos visible (although he was wearing black tape around the bottom half of his forearms), it matched the profile of "WWE NXT" star Shawn Spears. Even though the idea was clever at first, Cena was prepared for the former North American Champion. He countered him with his signature Attitude Adjustment in hopes that his physical duties were done for the night. Not exactly. After Spears took the bump, Orton slid into the ring to hit his unsparing RKO. As Cena laid there powerless, "The Viper" grabbed the championship and stood tall over the fallen champion. For the first time in their careers, both Orton and Cena will step into the ring opposite of what they've built their personas to be over the years, or what we call in the industry, a double turn, with Cena acting as the antagonist, and Orton, the protagonist.
If you need further clarification that it was Shawn Spears..the tattoos also match up.. #Smackdown https://t.co/z8F3SATG7L pic.twitter.com/6qI1VcgYF3
— Rony Mac (@TheRONYBrand) May 10, 2025
In "NXT," Spears is the leader of the group The Culling, where he is joined by Brooks Jensen, Niko Vance, and Izzi Dame. Spears returned to WWE for the third time in his career at "NXT" Vengeance Day in February 2024. After his return, he was crowned the North American Champion on the March 4 edition of "NXT." He dropped the title to newcomer Ricky Saints last month.