Brian Gewirtz has debunked a report about the WWE’s plans for John Cena‘s heel turn going into WrestleMania.
At Elimination Chamber, John Cena shocked the world. After Cody Rhodes turned down the offer, John Cena instead sold his soul to The Rock and turned heel for the first time in two decades; this was the kick to the nuts heard around the world. It was such a huge moment in wrestling history and caused a huge stir in the mainstream media. A lot has been written about the angle, some truth and apparently, some fiction.
On Twitter, Brian Gewirtz, former WWE writer and The Rock’s right hand man / Current SVP of Development at Seven Bucks Productions, debunked a report regarding John Cena’s heel turn. Wrestle Purists Tweeted a report from F4WOnline.com’s Dave Meltzer, who claimed that Cena was originally supposed to turn heel in the main event of WrestleMania, not Elimination Chamber.
The report also claimed that the decision to do it that night was made at the very last minute. Given the shocking nature of it, it is certainly plausible that they would have made the call so late. However, Brian Gewirtz has poured cold water on that claim.
Gewirtz simply replied “0 for 2” on the post. This was showing that he knows both of the claims made are false. Given Brian Gewirtz’ work with The Rock and how involved he is in his segments in WWE, he seems a reliable source of information relating to this historic angle.
0 for 2 https://t.co/aoDg8Hsd2x
— Brian Gewirtz (@bfg728) March 8, 2025
Was John Cena always the first choice to turn heel?
Gewirtz shot down two instances of when Cena’s heel turn was supposed to take place. However, it’s worth noting that the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter claimed that The Rock initially wanted to have Cody Rhodes turn heel, not Cena.
This idea was reportedly rejected by Rhodes and plans shifted to John Cena, who was reportedly Rock’s second choice. Sources within WWE believed Rhodes turning heel could’ve hurt the momentum WWE has. The general feeling is the current WWE audience belongs to Cody. This report was also backed by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.
