At this year’s Elimination Chamber the unthinkable happened. Not too often in the wrestling business am I left speechless, but for this, I was at a loss for words.
After decades of being a true babyface, John Cena turned heel. In the process he shook the wrestling world to its core.
Why Cena Why?
After years of stating he never crossed that line was due to the admiration and love the kids have for him. His topping of the Guinness Book of World Records for most Make A Wish grants shows just how selfless he is and how important he views his platform with regards to the overall power his presence carries.
For years the adult fans urged John to turn heel, he even teased it a few times but ultimately viewed the power of that move and what it would cause to the millions of children who idolize him.
This business is all about turning from face to heel and vise versa. It adds life into the characters and prolongs the wrestler’s career. Turns are always risky but typically are rewarding in the end.
When Cena announced 2025 was his final year with his last match happening in December of this year, I thought he was just going to ride the wave and go against who and how he wants. He literally has nothing to prove so I thought the tour would just be his way of giving back to the fans for the 20+ years of support all the while helping elevate others on the way out.
Turning heel never once crossed my mind. That being said, I thought it was absolutely genius. The entire wrestling world had the same mindset as I do, and it is evident with the worldwide reactions.
WWE posted on their socials the astronomical number of views his turned generated across all the company’s social media accounts. That showed us that his turn was one arguably the biggest in the history of the business.
Some viewed John as being corny or only appealing to the kids. While that may be correct, it is all about the power of that connection that showed Cena’s power towards those who adored him.
He never took his position for granted and knew he was blessed to be in this position and also knew what a simple “hello” would do for any kid.
His dedication for making time in his busy schedule of wrestling and acting to meet with kids, you can’t help but get hit with the “feels” here. For his Make A Wish grants, his visits allowed those children to feel powerful and for those moments forget what they were battling.
Uplifting their spirits during a time when no child should have to fight for their lives, it added life into their fight. As a father, you can’t help but have nothing but love for John Cena.
About 15 years ago, WWE had a live event here in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada and John was in the main event. The ovation he received that night was the loudest I have ever heard.
With all honesty, once his music first hit, the rest you could not hear due to the thunderous roar of the crowd. I was one of those who added to the incredible pop.
John is in my opinion the greatest of all time and the thought of him turning heel on his farewell tour, not even close to being on my radar.
While I am excited to see where this goes because obviously “expect the unexpected” but I think he truly isn’t heel. My gut says he has a plan.
At this stage of his career, I can’t see him leaving the biz as a heel. Also, as we all know the “chase” is where the money is. If you aren’t sure what I mean, it is when the World Champion is a heel and the babyface is trying to get to the belt.
The heel ducks and cheats, prolonging the chase until the build-up has the fans 100% invested in this and into the challenger that the matchup is a major deal. The face then defeats the bad guy and becomes the World Champion. For this, I see it being a “chase” situation.
He is going to cross paths with the best in the company while slowly adding friction between The Rock and himself, then will layeth the smackdown on Dwayne and go on to win the World Championship and retire. I say retire because I truly believe he deserves to retire as champion.
John Cena’s heel turn shook the world. His switch back to being the genuine babyface he will be even sweeter. I wouldn’t rush anything, allow it all to marinate, but this will go down as one of the biggest reactions anyone will get.
John was the one who was there for WWE during its highs and during its lows, some being extremely low. He is and was a true model employee who the company relied on to do damage control when the company was receiving some major backlash (ex- Chris Benoit). There is no way he would end his career as a heel.
His turn, while I have been shook to my core, has me excited as I can’t wait to see him transform back into the John Cena, we all love. I would love to see him bring back his Doctor of Thuganomics character. The one that put him on the map. Same getup and all.
The one thing I hope he doesn’t change is that special moment he shares everytime he steps through that curtain with Stu the cameraman.
Be the bad guy he needs to be but still take a moment to talk to Stu, even if it is with heel-ish tactics. His little moment with Stu is one of the things I love most about his entrance and just hope that doesn’t go to the waste side now.
At the end of the day, when the bell rings and his final match is complete, heel or babyface, John hopefully will realize that there was no one better overall for the business than he was.
He was a true professional both inside and out of the ring, realized how fortunate he was to connect with the audience the way he does, and know without the fans there would be no John Cena. He dedicated his life to the fans and in return the fans were so loyal to him. It was honestly the perfect relationship.
I don’t care what people think or have to say, but John Cena is the GOAT. No one comes close and probably no one ever will. This isn’t up for debate but if you have any doubt in what I am saying then show me another wrestler who always put the fans, especially the children, first when it came to his career and ways to add more layers to his character.
He stayed true to himself and his heart and always thought about the overall effect any career moves would make on those millions and millions of children who are fighting battles they shouldn’t be who watch his matches or his movies and for those moments are a normal kid.
I am a father, and this gets me emotional and probably makes me biased here but the power he holds and gives those overcoming obstacles, whose main focus should be playing with friends instead of being sick, is incredible.
John is an incredible wrestler, fantastic actor and an overall amazing human being. Love him or hate him, just don’t deny his overall love to giving back to those who shouldn’t have a care in their world.
His resume speaks volumes about his talent both in-ring and on the big screen. In the land of the GOAT’s, John is in a league of his own.
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