John Cena's Shocking Heel Turn Shakes WWE Universe
John Cena has been one of the most adored figures in professional wrestling for more than 20 years. Since leaving his “Doctor of Thuganomics” character behind in 2003, he’s consistently played the hero. His reputation as the ultimate good guy was underscored when he assisted WWE’s current standout, Cody Rhodes, in defeating Roman Reigns for the Universal title at WrestleMania XL.
However, Cena’s portrayal as a face recently took a surprising twist when he sided with The Rock, betraying his former partner Rhodes.
Cena’s steadfast role as a fan favorite made this turn of events utterly shocking for everyone. Especially since Cena had declared 2025 would mark his farewell to WWE, no one anticipated such a dramatic change in his character. As a result, Cena’s inaugural appearance as a heel on WWE Raw on March 17 was met with a torrent of boos from the Brussels, Belgium crowd when his iconic theme “The Time is Now” began playing.
The audience transformed from completely silent to wildly chaotic at the first sound of Cena’s entrance music.
As Cena took the microphone, it took several minutes for the audience to settle enough for him to speak. Each attempt to start his segment was drowned by the chorus of boos.
When Cena finally had the chance to address the crowd, he accused the fans of never reciprocating the entertainment he provided throughout his career.
“No matter what I do, it’s never enough and you should all be ashamed of yourselves. All you ever do is take,” Cena expressed. “Not a single one of you ever bothered to ask how I feel.”
Even Cena’s own supporters weren’t exempt from his wrath. He argued they were no better than his detractors, highlighting the lack of recognition and respect he received when initiating his farewell tour.
“I don’t care about you. You don’t matter to me,” Cena declared.
Cody Rhodes interrupted Cena’s tirade, offering him a chance to explain his actions, yet Cena’s justification fell flat with the audience, who rallied behind Rhodes.
Rhodes concluded the encounter by challenging Cena, suggesting that if Cena’s current persona faced him at WrestleMania, he would “retire early.” Rhodes branded Cena a “whiny (expletive)” before leaving the stage, leaving Cena to absorb the reaction.
WrestleMania 41 is scheduled for Saturday, April 19 - Sunday, April 20. The two-night event will be hosted at Allegiant Stadium near Las Vegas, Nevada.