John Cena has discussed his much-criticized heel run and whether he has any regrets about it.
Cena turned on Cody Rhodes and aligned with The Rock, which shocked many, and in an interview on “Insight,” he explained the reason for the move and why he stands by it.
“When we did it, we did it as a big moment, but with a purpose. [We thought] ‘Hey, this is going to ignite something with you and Cody. It’s going to start in February and end in August because you only have 36 broadcasts, and Intuit [Netflix debut] and Rumble are gone. So now we’re down to 34. And then we need some on the back end with you actually being a good guy. So let’s take it down to 24.’ We kind of have to tell a story that should be 2 years long — 52 weeks a year plus 14 to 18 PLE’s — we got to do it in like 20 episodes of television,” he said. “So, it took my focus on Cody, on the championship, and on frustrations that I’ve had, genuine ones. It all comes from a genuine place. Things I could say. I’m so happy to say that I wouldn’t retread the course ’cause I gave everything I had.”
He said he was happy with the opponents he faced. Cena had a plan for how he could “ruin wrestling” for the fans who loved him, explaining that portraying himself as the victim was the perfect way to turn those fans against him.
“Taking the fun away from the fan [was how he was going to ruin wrestling]. If I’m an advocate of like, ‘We can’t do this without you,’ and then I finally realize like, ‘Man, you guys are kind of abusive, and I’m a victim.’ I’m going to take the thing that matters most to you away,” he added.
Cena on whether a match with Rock was on the cards
John Cena asserted that, in the end, the fans’ love made him become a good guy again.
“The fans changed me. Like, you go to the Cody match at WrestleMania, which is where I debut a more methodical style [I was getting cheered.] And then you lean into like only so many dates left. I’m taking this thing home. I’m a victim of an abusive relationship. All of the things, like, I’m going to remove the fun from wrestling. You can’t ignore the noise,” he said.
He recounted a few of the memorable matches he had with legendary opponents like Rhodes, Randy Orton, and CM Punk, and how each told a unique story. Despite the criticism the heel run got from fans, he applauded WWE creative for trying something different and also acknowledged that they pivoted when it didn’t work. The 17-time world champion holds no regrets about his bad-guy run and isn’t interested in discussions about any hypothetical match with The Rock.
“I don’t dwell for one second on what could have been,” he said. “I don’t care [if a match with Rock was on the cards]. Like, first of all — I’m always the last to know. It doesn’t trickle down to me. If you watch Unreal, like that process is genuine. I talk to Rock and then I talk to this and the last guy I got to call is John [Cena]. I’m usually the last guy they call ’cause I’m the easiest.”
Cena eventually turned babyface again ahead of his clash with Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam, allowing him to end his career as a good guy.
