At WWE Elimination Chamber, WWE made a bold creative decision with John Cena by giving him the heel turn fans have been desperate for. Still, many fans did not expect it to actually happen and to see John Cena sell his soul to The Rock, despite the foreshadowing during the Royal Rumble press conference. Cena said he would do “what’s best for business.”
In many respects, it wasn’t bold. It was cyclical. The progression of a historic feud, built on the history and multiple career-parallels that unite The Rock and Cena as generational talents, Hollywood crossover stars, and businessmen.
WWE was in a win-win situation with the John Cena heel turn. Nostalgia and respect for Cena’s endurance and persistence meant fans who once chanted “John Cena sucks” would remain happy if the legend remained the same embodiment of hustle, loyalty and respect. Why mess with a formula that isn’t broken? Especially when, as a representative, Cena, more than The Rock or Cody Rhodes, is the personification of WWE the business.
There are plenty of reasons why taking such a risk of a John Cena heel turn was no risk at all. Whether always the plan or some last-minute change, two years in a row due to The Rock’s intervention, this wasn’t a gamble.
WWE is Red Hot
Prior to Elimination Chamber, Triple H claimed a new era was beginning and that the chamber would be industry-changing, less than 12 months after the start of the Paul Levesque Era. WWE is still hot and, while there are creative flaws and cracks in the blueprints and weekly shows, that doesn’t matter when you are hot.
It takes a long time for a boiled kettle to cool. Plenty of fans are wrapped up in the WWE “aura”. Riding the wave along with the company, PR, and records suggest no issues with making a decision like this, a John Cena heel turn.
When you’re hot, things hit harder. WWE is a capital M moments company. Better than any other promotion, they can make moments feel cinematic and theatrical. Especially when events feel like an RKO from out of nowhere.
WWE nor the man himself needed a John Cena heel turn. As a face, there was still plenty of road and pathways for Cena to explore. Historic rivalries to celebrate or that could have helped revise Cena’s divisive history. Some of those ideas can be read here.
If WWE had creatively coasted on the goodwill and current success of the product, it would still be enough to make Cena’s last year historic. By doing the unexpected, nearing the peak of their most coveted time of the year, the surprise factor was guaranteed to hit the ball straight out of the park. Especially, because of how the creative manipulated and adapted last year’s intervention by The Rock to fool fans yet again. WWE gave fans what they wanted, a John Cena heel turn, but did it in a way they didn’t expect. It was brilliant and shows the evolution of WWE in its new era.
Twice in A Lifetime
Behind the scenes, “reality”, politics, gossip, and perceptions of key players will always influence how many of us receive the fiction. Kayfabe is selective. The way many fans type, talk, and post about wrestlers, they believe they know something about the real individuals behind the personas. With The Rock, perceptions over the last few years have changed, with fans seeing The Great One as more of a political game player.
Despite remaining one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, fatigue, repetitive performances, and frustration with Dwayne Johnson have set in. Since Black Adam, perceptions have soured. Increasingly, some saw the former WWE Champion’s WWE return as a defensive move. Last year, his return to WWE seemed to some like a ploy for relevance, a return to a home base where he was – and would always be – beloved. His interjection on the road to WrestleMania appeared selfish and self-serving. The upset and fan outrage around the TV product overshadowed real-life controversy aimed at the company. Disdain for The Rock felt real.
Yet, it all worked out. Cody Rhodes finished his story. The Rock got his spotlight. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns got their moments. Fans got more than they wanted. Win-win. Then history repeated itself this year. Initially, fans were upset because the hints of a potential match up between The Rock and Cody Rhodes seemed squashed. Many fans jumped to the conclusion that Johnson was again was chasing clout after Red One bombed at the box office. Jokes around The Rock demanding Rhodes’ soul and the TV time taken away from full-timers painted The Final Boss again as out of touch.
Plenty of fans thought they knew what would happen and kayfabed themselves. They thought they knew The Rock, and again were tricked. Few saw The Rock sharing the spotlight with his old nemesis, John Cena and with a heel turn no less. Surprisingly, The Rock gave longtime fans exactly what they wanted.
John Cena Heel Turn is a Wish Fulfillment
A meme mourning the end of Cena’s legendary Make-A-Wish run this year neglected one detail. By completing a heel turn, John Cena has granted the wish many long-term WWE fans have waited a decade for. Some are comparing Cena’s turn already to Hulk Hogan’s NWO turn. Something that the Firefly Funhouse match parodied as a near-impossible event.
People often forget, the John Cena that fans fell in love with during the Ruthless Aggression Era was a heel. Someone who ignored respect and ripped through opponents with comments on their sexual performance. An arrogant yet relatable upstart. As the WWE champion, however, those fans believed Cena sold out.
Finally embracing that hate, the prospect of seeing Cena drop the PG-friendly mask is exciting. This is unexplored territory. Heels in wrestling have more fun and on his way out, Cena deserves to have fun. Heels have less restrictions and more leeway to push the envelope. Beyond five moves of doom, many fans want to see what Cena can do and what a John Cena heel turn means for the rest of the WWE landscape. At this final stage of Cena’s career, this allows for both old and new facets to Cena’s character.
Also, from a story perspective, everything makes perfect sense. Cena was always corporate and always about what was best for business. Him becoming the Corporate Champion officially, is kinda a full circle moment when you think about it.
The New Story with a John Cena Heel Turn
After the Royal Rumble, Cena was clear in his selfishness. This is about breaking records and cementing a legacy for himself and WWE. To suggest that scene, in turn, did not make sense misses more than Cena’s own history but wrestling’s also. The universal truth is that being at the top changes you. Power grants privilege. Privilege allows for exploitation. Power corrupts. Good men do bad things for what they think are the right reasons. This story is as old as time and recurrent in the furrows of WWE world title history.
Take aligning with The Rock, a man who Cena claimed over a decade ago he was nothing like. Cena followed the same path and became a Hollywood star. Although he has remained semi-loyal to WWE, the priorities have changed. Even during this final year in WWE, this final tour, where has Cena been week to week? Filming a movie.
Cena is not the company man he once was. That mantle belongs to Cody Rhodes, his WrestleMania opponent. The John Cena heel turn, it creates the perfect WrestleMania defense and scenario for Rhodes. Cena is the perfect foil. Beyond the story of the old guard versus the new, corporate versus people’s choice, it’s the story of power.
History repeating. The Rock’s desire for a Corporate Champion links back to his own history as Vince McMahon’s chosen one. If Cena beats Rhodes at WrestleMania, then, exactly as Cena stated after the Royal Rumble, whoever beats Cena will claim a prize bigger than the world championship.
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