Last year, John Cena announced that 2025 would be his last as an active competitor in WWE. Times have certainly changed for the leader of the Cenation. Fans booed Cena for years due to his dull, never-changing character as the top babyface of the promotion. However, with his time in the ring now limited, those same fans cheer him out of respect for everything he’s done. At Elimination Chamber, John Cena revealed that he’s not interested in making his last year a nostalgic run just like everything we’ve seen before. The end of the PLE showed that WWE is finally going to give us the heel turn arc we’ve been begging for. Two decades after those calls began, John Cena is crafting the perfect end to his wrestling career.
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John Cena Was WWE’s Ultimate Babyface
Fans Turned On John Cena’s Dull Good Guy Character
- John Cena started the Ruthless Aggression era in his debut match against Kurt Angle.
- The Doctor of Thuganomics was born with Cena being a heel.
- When John Cena turned babyface, his character never changed again.
John Cena couldn’t have had a more memorable WWE debut, showing up to challenge Kurt Angle on SmackDown and usher in the era of Ruthless Aggression. After taking the Olympic gold medalist to the limit, Cena became a generic babyface. It wasn’t until Stephanie McMahon discovered his rapping abilities, and it was turned into a character, that John Cena became a major star. He was the perfect heel, destroying his opponents on the mic, but he was so good at it fans began to cheer him. As great as this was for him, it also hurt him.
With WWE wanting to go more PG, Cena’s edgy persona was stripped away. The Doctor of Thuganomics disappeared and for the next nearly two decades we got a babyface character who never changed. Every week he came out and smiled in his bright shirts and jorts, gave the same promos, made the same bad jokes, and came off as the most cheesy good guy. Kids and women loved it but everyone else hated it. For over a decade, John Cena was the face of WWE, but half the crowd booed him.
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John Cena Wanted To Turn Heel
Vince McMahon Wouldn’t Allow A John Cena Heel Turn
- John Cena’s talents were limited as a dull babyface.
- New gear was once made for a John Cena heel turn that never happened.
- Vince McMahon didn’t want to turn Cena bad, partially because of his Make-A-Wish work.
Year after year, fans begged for a John Cena heel turn. He wasn’t booed because he was awful, but because he wasn’t being used to his full potential. Cena had charisma like few others, but he never did anything new. He became a caged animal with severe limitations who wasn’t allowed to be let loose.
It was Vince McMahon who was behind this choice. Cena wanted a heel turn, and one almost happened, to the point that new gear was made for it. It was Vince McMahon who said no. He was afraid to change his biggest star. He’d made him the number one star of the sport, and with Cena working with so many kids for Make-A-Wish, changing his character in any way was a risky move. It was also a hindrance. WWE went through some dark times in the 2010s because Cena was shoved down our throats every single week, and we lost any reason to truly care about him. Cena has acknowledged this in interviews, including with GQ. He told them that WWE’s version of John Cena was a virtuous character but also a flawed one because of it. As for a heel turn that never came, he said:
“It’s not my choice. I don’t run the company.” (h/t WhatCulture)
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An Evil John Cena Shows His Full Potential
John Cena’s Last Run Could Be His Most Memorable
- Cody Rhodes looked strong by standing up to The Rock.
- John Cena’s heel turn is a reminder of Hulk Hogan’s at WCW Bash at the Beach 1996.
- Having John Cena align with The Final Boss shows his desperation to break Ric Flair’s title record.
Oh, how things have now changed. Vince McMahon is thankfully no longer in charge. When The Rock returned to WWE last week on SmackDown to confront Cody Rhodes and ask for his soul, it felt out of left field, as if the Final Boss decided to show up at the last minute and this was the only bizarre thing creative could come up with in time. Who knows how long the Elimination Chamber angle has actually been ready to go, but it worked perfectly. It truly was cinema. Cody Rhodes had looked silly for even contemplating The Rock’s offer, but he saved his run by shouting down the Final Boss with a shocking f-bomb. Then came the moment, with Cena aligning himself with The Rock. Not only did John Cena turn heel, but he absolutely destroyed the WWE Champion in the middle of the ring. It was a reminder of Hulk Hogan’s own heel turn at WCW Bash at the Beach in 1996, which was the beginning of the nWo.
For two decades, John Cena has been held back, as if he was living in Groundhog Day, doomed to repeat the same gimmick until his time was done. Now, however, we can see his full potential. Just the look on Cena’s face was shocking. Can you remember ever seeing him look so evil? It completely transformed his features and left him unrecognizable. Now Cena can go on a reign of terror, and it won’t feel forced either. By aligning with The Rock, which is another brilliant move, it shows that John Cena is desperate to break Ric Flair’s record for the most world title reigns ever. He wants so much to officially be the greatest of all-time, and to break his streak of bad luck and losses, that he’ll do anything to reach the top again, including sell his soul to the Final Boss.
Look for John Cena to do the best character work of his entire career over the next few months. Say goodbye to that theme song, the bright shirts, and the smiling guy making poop jokes. Imagine John Cena fully going to the dark side. That first promo where he explains himself is going to be legendary. Hulk Hogan had a perfect heel turn, but do you really remember how his career ended? You won’t forget John Cena’s goodbye. It’s going to be ruthless aggression.
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