John Cena's shocking heel turn with The Rock was the ultimate WWE swerve. What happens now?

Yahoo

02-03-2025

There are swerves and there are swerves. But WWE reached for the nuclear option on Saturday as Elimination Chamber 2025 culminated in the shock of a lifetime — John Cena finally turning heel.
Who could have seen it coming? It's not like the idea hasn't been mooted before across Cena's two decades in the business. It has always sat there just within reach, the equivalent of a 'break glass in case of emergency' option. But WWE has held back on pushing that particular button — until now.
Why the change? To state the obvious, it was now or never, given that the 16-time world champion is due to hang up his boots at the end of the year. But all signs before Saturday night had pointed to Cena sticking to the babyface playbook on his retirement tour. A month ago, he was lifting the hand of Jey Uso after the Royal Rumble.
Even in the Elimination Chamber match itself, Cena was still playing the good guy. To the delight of longtime wrestling fans, he hugged CM Punk, perhaps the ultimate display of honor, before the two traded blows. It was "hustle, loyalty, respect" in spades.
That the segment involving The Rock and Cody Rhodes had been chosen to end the show was a clear sign that something big was coming. But this? Having Cena deliver a low-blow to the Universal Champion and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with The Final Boss? No one predicted that.
As with last year's kick off show in Las Vegas, the twist massively ups the ante for this year's WrestleMania 41 main event. Rhodes has been a fantastic champion, but it's no secret that his rivalries have lacked the urgency of his massive title win over Roman Reigns in Philadelphia. That all changes now.
In short, babyfaces work best when we have a reason to root for them. Rhodes cutting heartfelt promos in his immaculate tailoring works fine, but having the champion splayed out and bloody as the bad guys whip him with a leather strap? That's 10 times more powerful when it comes to getting us invested.
Will Cena win against Rhodes in April at WrestleMania 41? At risk of eating my words later, I'm guessing not. Though naturally WWE will pull out all the stops to make us fear that's going to happen. Expect to have your heart in your mouth when 'The American Nightmare' pulls off a split-second kick-out, having just been grounded by a surprise Attitude Adjustment.
This unexpected path we've been led down is even more intriguing given what's been happening with Rhodes losing some of his old friendships. In 2024, Rhodes had his allies to protect him against the sheer force of The Bloodline. But who does he have to protect him this time around? I suspect that Saturday night won't be the last time we see the champion outnumbered and outgunned.
As to whether the heel turn meets the hype, there are still big questions to answer. Can Cena even play the heel role, for one. But also whether he will be staying in dark mode for the entire retirement tour. It seems odd to deprive fans of the chance to cheer 'The Champ' for one last time, but switching back too quickly will feel inauthentic.
There's also the risk that Cena ends up being overshadowed by The Rock, who has now cemented his position as the ultimate 'big bad' in WWE. My initial suspicion is that we're seeing the first steps toward Rhodes vs. Rock at WrestleMania 42, after 'The Final Boss' realizes that, having failed to build up two heels to defeat Rhodes, he'd like to try to do the job himself.
Of course, all of that is months away. Until then, it's best to strap in and enjoy the ride. Last week, WWE confirmed that Cena will be appearing on several of their upcoming European shows, which are being billed as semi-specials under the 'Road to WrestleMania' brand. I suspect that's when the heel turn really begins gathering pace.
It's no exaggeration to say that fantasy bookers have been dreaming about this scenario for decades. Now they're getting what they asked for. Please don't fumble this one, WWE.