Notes on John Cena’s heel turn
– Fightful reports it was very protected secret and that most people in WWE were completely shocked, as The Rock’s creative is handled privately between him, Brian Gewirtz, and Triple H, with others only informed on a “need to know basis”. While The Rock’s WrestleMania 41 involvement isn’t officially confirmed, many in WWE expect him to appear.
– John Cena’s heel turn last night at Elimination Chamber has garnered over 104,000,000 views in just under 12 hours across all of WWE’s social platforms.
It is now the most watched video on WWE social ever in the first 12 hours.
Refusing a heel turn for 15 or so years and then pulling the trigger in the middle of his retirement tour is…a choice.
I’m going to resist my normal booking-related cynicism and trust that it’s going somewhere, but I will say this: if they’re going to do this, I want them to go all out, whether by going backward or forward. I either want the “Word Life” theme music and the horrible attempts at “freestyles” or a complete “I’m too big of a star for this crap.” I want the Doctor of Thugonomics or Hollywood John Cena. You’ve spent years trying to force us to love him, now it’s time to justify two decades of hate for him.
@What?–Agreed. I mean, the turn makes sense. Cena wants the belt one last time and will do anything to get it. And/or, Hollywood has warped his mind like it did The Rock (and Hogan for that matter). [Hmmm, Hollywood is apparently an evil place.]
Aaaaanyway, I just can’t see Cena retiring a heel. That means in 9 months Cena has to go back to a face which seems too sudden a flip (to me anyway). The only way he does that is by turning and challenging The Rock in his final match. But if Cena’s retirement tour is only for 2025, when does that match take place? Seems like a Wrestlemania match as opposed to a regular PLE.