Triple H and his regime did the unthinkable in WWE: turn John Cena into a bad guy. The game-changing moment shook the landscape of professional wrestling. Now, months after the shocker, The Game opened up about the discussion leading to Cena going rogue.
What did John Cena have to say about becoming a heel in WWE after twenty-plus years?
In a recent appearance on High Performance, Triple H broke down the details leading to John Cena’s heel turn. Despite being a major shift from his Superman persona, Triple H stated that John Cena totally loved the idea of turning heel.
The WWE CCO revealed that John Cena was surprised that Triple H had thought of such a bold move. The Cenation Leader saw it as a challenging yet exciting role for his last run in the company.
TRIPLE H BREAKS DOWN THE CALL TO JOHN CENA ABOUT A HEEL TURN
“I pitched it. Laid out the idea.”
JOHN CENA: “I love it.”
(High Performance)
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) April 13, 2025
Triple H said, “So, when we go through that, John [Cena] and I talk about it. John is like, ‘Wow, I didn’t think that is where you were going to go with this. That is bold, but I f****** love it.’ And he was like, I love it because I could be safe, and I could be easy, and I could phone this in, and just do my greatest hits, and move on. Or I could be challenged, this is challenging to me. This is a juicy role.”
The moment took place at the end of the 2025 WWE Elimination Chamber PLE. The Rock, accompanied by Travis Scott, came out to ask for Cody Rhodes’ soul. After he denied, The Rock signaled Cena, and he took down Rhodes with a low-blow. Following that, the trio launched a massive beat down on him and left him covered in blood.
John Cena is set to headline his last WrestleMania as an in-ring performer
Before turning heel, John Cena won the 2025 Men’s Elimination Chamber match. This guaranteed his spot in the main event of his last WrestleMania as a competitor. The 16-time World Champion will face Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship in a quest to win his 17th World Championship.
Since Cena’s heel turn, the duo is going against each other in heated back-and-forth segments. The fans have witnessed the pure form of evil John Cena on WWE TV for weeks, but the true potential is yet to be unlocked!
With the Cenation Leader eyeing his 17th World title to erase Ric Flair’s legacy, he has a huge chip on his shoulder. On the other hand, the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes is ready to make sure that John Cena would walk out of Las Vegas the way he walked in: empty-handed.