The Story Behind John Cena's Aborted Heel Turn, And How Those Plans Could Still Be Used Now That He's A Villain

To the shock and surprise of wrestling fans around the world, John Cena turned heel by attacking Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes after winning the Elimination Chamber in March 2025. One of the most shocking heel turns of all time, one that many of us thought would never happen: Cena’s turn to the dark side alongside The Rock’s Final Boss (and Travis Scott, for some reason) made his farewell tour all the more interesting.

While this is the first time the wrestler-turned-actor has turned heel, Cena came very close to going from WWE’s biggest hero to one of its most dastardly villains more than a decade ago.

Come with me as I break down the story behind Cena’s aborted heel turn, why the plans didn’t work out, and how they could still be used at the two-night WrestleMania 41 and other upcoming WWE events.

John Cena Was This Close To Turning Heel In The Build To WrestleMania 28

Back in 2011 and 2012, the feud between Cena and The Rock was one of the biggest stories in wrestling. At some point around that time, Cena was approached with the idea of turning heel in the lead up to his “Once in a Lifetime” match against a returning Dwayne Johnson. Judging by what he told Chris Van Vliet in March 2024, the 16-time world champion was about as close as you could get to becoming a villain:

But, it wasn’t just a new look, new song, and new attitude in the ring, Cena was ready to go all the way and become the exact opposite of his character at the time. No more Make-a-Wish moments, no more special appearances, no more merch sales, no more “hustle, loyalty, respect.” Basically, he was going to become everything he stood against at the time.

There Were Multiple Ways To Turn Cena Heel In 2011 And 2012 Before The Match

Cena was at the height of his babyface run in the build-up to WrestleMania 28. He was years away from taking on a part-time schedule to focus on his acting career, he was constantly holding the WWE Championship, and he was selling merchandise at a level that had never been seen before and will probably never be reached ever again. And while he was getting heavily booed by older members of the audience, especially during the Summer of Punk in 2011, he was very much the fan-favorite for a large portion of the WWE Universe.

However, there were plenty of ways WWE could have turned its top star into the biggest heel since Hollywood Hogan a decade-and-a-half earlier. Cena immediately challenging Rey Mysterio after the masked luchador won the vacated WWE Championship could have been a spot, as could his story with Zack Ryder in early 2012. Hell, they could have turned him in his feud with CM Punk, who was on top of the world at the time.

But Vince McMahon Decided To Scrap The Plan For A Pretty Obvious Reason

John Cena turning heel back then would have been the biggest story in wrestling and a landmark moment in the sport’s history. I mean, just look at all the buzz that’s surrounding his turn in 2025, and it’s easy to see how this would have put a lot more eyes on the product leading up to WrestleMania 28. So, why didn’t it work out and why were the plans squashed?

During an appearance on the Something to Wrestle With podcast in December 2024, WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield provided some insight into why the former WWE Chairman didn’t want to turn his biggest babyface into a heel, no matter how much attention it would garner. No surprise here, but it came down to Cena being the biggest merch seller in the company, and turning him heel would severely cut into that success.

Similarly, Cena later explained on the Pat McAfee Show that if the heel turn had happened, he told WWE brass that it would have to be for the long haul and not a situation where he would turn heel and then back to being a face in a short amount of time.

So, How Could Those Plans Come To Fruition In The Lead To WrestleMania 41?

Though Cena wouldn’t turn heel for more than a decade after those initial plans fell through, there is still a way those ideas could be used in the build to WrestleMania 41, where he’ll challenge Cody Rhodes and attempt to become the most decorated champion of all time. In fact, it feels like he’s already been building to this moment since kicking off his farewell tour back on the first episode of Raw on Netflix.

He entered the 2025 Royal Rumble late in the match, proclaimed himself a participant in the Elimination Chamber without having to qualify like everyone else, and hasn’t been showing up on TV while he films one of his upcoming movies. He has new merch, but come on, this is Cena we’re talking about. And while it’s unlikely he stops granting Make-a-Wish requests, the new heel in WWE didn’t answer a single question at post-Chamber presser. If he gets new music and a new look, we’re totally in business.

What Can We Expect From A Heel Cena In His Final Run?

In an ideal world, Cena would defeat Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 and go on a legendary heel run as the WWE Champion, in which he would end things by having killer matches with the likes of CM Punk, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. Though he could still have that awesome series of matches without the title around his waist, seeing an evil John Cena with a new “The Champ is Here” shirt would be so great.

Regardless if he spends the year as champion or not, I think his whole retirement tour ends with him putting over a young babyface in his final match, one that will help him go out with a bang while also getting some redemption to bring the year, and his career, to a close. And, TNA World Champion Joe Hendry would be the perfect person to get the rub as Cena hangs up his boots.

After waiting years and years to see John Cena turn heel, witnessing the dream become reality is something that wrestling fans around the world are going to look back on fondly for years and decades to come.