From 2002 to 2024, John Cena received mixed reactions from fans over time, but he was consistently portrayed as the ultimate good guy on WWE television. However, on March 1 at WWE Elimination Chamber, one of the most shocking moments in professional wrestling history occurred. John Cena turned heel and joined the dark side.
After five months as a bad guy, John Cena turned and became a babyface once again at WWE SmackDown before WWE SummerSlam last week. Now that his run as a heel is officially in the past, let’s break down John Cena’s last few months and answer whether it was a success or not.
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John Cena turns heel at Elimination Chamber
John Cena won the 2025 Elimination Chamber, but after The Final Boss, The Rock appeared to confront Cody Rhodes. Cody Rhodes declined The Rock’s offer, allowing Cena to shock the world and turn on his former friend. This singular moment is one of the greatest heel turns and segments in WWE history.
John Cena won the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41
A little over a month after John Cena turned heel, he broke the previous tie with Ric Flair, winning his 17th WWE Championship. This match has been met with considerable criticism due to Travis Scott’s interference. It was a bittersweet moment as Cena finally captured his record-breaking title, but did it as a heel.
John Cena’s Heel run abruptly ended at WWE SmackDown before WWE SummerSlam
Although it seemed like Cena’s run as a heel was nearing an end, it was surprising for him to turn babyface in one promo, especially two nights before WWE SummerSlam. John Cena stated that he was following someone else’s plan, but he would no longer do so. In this promo, he stated that the guys he joined at the Elimination Chamber left him. John Cena was presumably talking about The Rock and Travis Scott.
How would you rate Heel John Cena?
A big deal has been made about The Rock not appearing after the Elimination Chamber. Although it would have been nice to see The Rock again throughout this storyline, he wasn’t needed. This story was between John Cena and Cody Rhodes. As we know over the years, The Rock comes and goes as he pleases, and he shouldn’t have been expected since he wasn’t scheduled.
As I previously said, it was expected his run as a heel was nearing an end, though going from a heel to a babyface in a single promo is too quick. But Cena’s situation is a unique one. At the beginning of 2025, Cena had only 36 total dates scheduled for this year. So if things felt rushed in his heel run, they were because it had to be. Cena hasn’t appeared every week on WWE television, making it hard to tell intricate stories. The best stories in wrestling are developed over time and have a slow build.
Before Cena turned heel at the Elimination Chamber, it was known that he would not have a lot of time to tell stories as a heel. If you had realistic expectations, I believe his run as a heel was a success, and it was nice to see the WWE and Cena take an expected turn and try something different. Did John Cena have the greatest heel run? No, but it never had a realistic chance to be.
