John Cena flipping the gimmick will go down as a game-changing moment in the history of pro wrestling. WWE has already declared it the greatest heel turn of all time. Even Hulk Hogan can’t help but heap praise on how things went down at Elimination Chamber: Toronto.
Cena has yet to appear in a WWE ring to explain his side of the story. As for the man at the receiving end of the betrayal, Cody Rhodes, the American Nightmare used Cena’s own catchphrase to call out the former “Franchise Player” last week on SmackDown.
Triple H is tightlipped about John Cena’s next WWE appearance despite the Superstar being advertised for upcoming SmackDown episodes. While the WWE Universe awaits Cena’s next appearance, let’s take a look into five things John Cena needs to solidify his, as MJF put it, “f**king awesome” heel turn.
New theme song
John Cena’s current theme song “The Time Is Now” is iconic, to say the least. The entrance music has been a major part of Cena’s babyface presentation for two decades. The lyrics pretty much sum up his babyface persona. But, as they say, all things must come to an end. As Cena previously explained to Chris Van Vliet, he had an all new presentation (including theme music and ring gear) ready for first feud with The Rock.
Vince McMahon didn’t pull the trigger on a John Cena’s heel turn in 2012. The road to WrestleMania 41 is the perfect time for Cena to debut a new theme song. This writer has already heard rumblings about Travis Scott’s potential involvement on Cena’s new entrance music. It won’t be a surprise if the rumored collaboration turns out to be true, especially amidst Scott’s ongoing merchandise gig with WWE.
Speaking of Scott, Cena also shared a video of him with “Basic Thuganomics” playing over it. That song is also a great one, but it’s best to stay away from bringing that back too since it’d likely get Cena cheered in some circles.
John Cena’s first promo after turning heel
The WWE Universe is dying to hear Cena’s first words after turning heel on Cody Rhodes. Cena didn’t say a word at the post-Elimination Chamber scrum. He simply did a mic drop, seemingly summing up the events of the shocking main event beatdown on Rhodes. Cena did react to his heel turn with a cryptic post on X/Twitter.
It is unknown if Cena will address his heel turn on RAW or SmackDown. He’s seemingly keeping fans in the dark about his plans for the WWE Universe as well as Cody Rhodes. Cena isn’t advertised for WWE RAW at Madison Square Garden. However, it’d be worth the wait if Triple H pulls off another surprise by having Cena show up at the Mecca of professional wrestling.
Interaction with the WWE Universe
Pre-heel turn Cena was Mr. Hustle, Loyalty and Respect. The kids loved him. Some might still do except for that one little kid who threw out all of his John Cena merchandise after witnessing his hero turn heel. This speaks volumes as to how big of an impact Cena has had on the lives of his fans around the world.
Speaking of fans, this writer has no clue how the 2025 version of heel Cena would interact with the WWE Universe. All I can say is that what we’re about to get would be a completely different version from the heel rapper Cena gimmick we got from ’03 to ’04. As for his association with Make-A-Wish and young fans, even R-Truth can’t seem to wrap his head around his childhood hero’s actions.
Tussle with Triple H
Triple H reacted to John Cena’s heel turn by saying Cena had earned the right to do what he wanted. However, this writer expects more to this than meets the eye. Hunter has always been about subtle and long-term storytelling. Plus, he seems to be the BABYFACE creative head in the grand scheme of things. His boss, The Rock, is on the flip side.
Since Cena betrayed Cody Rhodes by aligning with The Rock, this writer expects some sort of power struggle storyline between HHH and Rock/Cena all the way to Survivor Series: WarGames with possible involvement of CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins as well. The wrestling timeline ahead looks exciting, to say the least.
John Cena wins Undisputed WWE Title at WrestleMania 41
John Cena winning the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41 is what’s best for business. Cena echoed similar words at post-Royal Rumble scrum. Winning the title would solidify Cena’s heel turn in the best way possible. Rhodes would, once again, be on the chase for the top championship—prompting babyface stars such as Punk, Reigns and Bron Breakker to enter the mix.
We could see Cena being a part-time Undisputed WWE Champion post-WrestleMania 41. This writer isn’t expecting Cena to become a fighting champion and give us something similar to his iconic US Championship run that gave us stellar matches in 2015. His body can no longer endure the punishment of working on such a high and consistent level. Cena needs to beat Cody Rhodes for the title at WrestleMania 41, period.
How would you book John Cena’s heel run? Let us know in the comments!
