Was John Cena ever a heel? John Cena Bad Guy Persona Explained

John Cena turning heel on Cody Rhodes changed the course of the entire WWE.

Harvey Dent once said, You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain. Something similar happened in WWE when John betrayed Cody Rhodes. Cena sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe and fans, and the aftereffects of the history-altering event can be felt across the internet. John Cena won the 2025 Elimination Chamber, defeating CM Punk by TKO. What followed not only stunned the world but also broke the hearts of John Cena Fans.

SPEECHLESS. 💔

JOHN CENA just viciously TURNED on CODY RHODES at #WWEChamber! pic.twitter.com/jSyaCud7Wz
— WWE (@WWE) March 2, 2025

John Cena turned heel on Cody Rhodes when Cody refused to surrender his soul to Final Boss Dwayne. The 16-time world champion delivered a low blow to Cody and punched him in the head multiple times using a watch as a knuckle. He then hit Cody twice in the head with his Undisputed Championship. Cody Rhodes was victimised by The Rock, John Cena, and Travis Scott.

Was Cena ever a heel?

John Cena was initially a heel when he entered WWE as Doctor of Thuganomics. He changed his persona and became one of the most respected wrestlers in the WWE universe. John Cena entered his name in the Guinness World Record for maintaining the face persona longer than any other WWE superstar before turning heel. He turned heel after being the face for nearly two decades.

Also Read: WWE Elimination Chamber Result: John Cena fulfilled his promise of winning the 2025 Elimination Chamber

Why did John Cena turn into a bad guy?

The exact reason for John Cena turning heel is yet to be known, as he neither appeared on WWE after the Elimination Chamber nor said anything in his interview. The speculated reason might be his losing streak. John Cena has been playing catch-up with his age and wasn’t able to win a match for about 2500 days.

BREAKING: @JohnCena just announced that he will be competing in this year's Elimination Chamber Match to secure a path towards an opportunity to become a 17-time champ at #WrestleMania 41!

🇨🇦 TORONTO
🎟️ https://t.co/8JsTRSVCW1 pic.twitter.com/MUR7PGqMv3
— WWE (@WWE) February 2, 2025

His Royal Rumble exit made him desperate as his WrestleMania dream looked all but over when Jey Uso eliminated him. He might have signed a deal with the Final Boss, Dwayne, to qualify for the Elimination Chamber without competing in a match. He became the first wrestler to qualify for the Elimination Chamber.

Also Read: Cody Rhodes Injury Update: What Injury did Cody Rhodes Suffer from Travis Scott’s Slap?

John Cena Heel Theme

John Cena posted a video on his TikTok account after his heel turn at the Elimination Chamber, hinting at bringing back his basic Thuganomics theme. The video showcased John Cena, The Rock, and Travis Scott leaving the ring with Basic Thuganomics playing in the background. The internet is filled with speculation, and the only person who could confirm these rumors is John Cena himself.

Image Credit: WWE- X.com

2025 Elimination Chamber

Cody Rhodes

Dwayne Johnson

Final Boss

John Cena

Last Time is Now

My Time is Now

Rock

The Doctor of Thuganomics

WrestleMania

WWE Undisputed Championship

Ashish Negi

nfl

wrestling

I am Ashish Negi, and I work as a WWE and NFL writer at The Playoffs. I have 5 years of experience in content writing, and I have written in different domains like Real Estate, but I found my love while writing in sports. I love watching sports and have been a fan of WWE and cricket. I got an opportunity to write full-time on WWE and NFL here, so following the footstep of my hero John Cena, I turn heel on my last company