From "loyalty and respect" to "ambition and betrayal: John Cena turns heel for 1st time in 20 years - But why now?

On March 1, 2025, having upheld the "standard of positivity" for more than 20 years, John Cena—WWE's most celebrated superhero—shockingly teamed up with "the People's Champion" Dwayne Johnson to double cross Undisputed Universal Champion Cody Rhodes with a nasty low blow and formally became a villain in an Elimination Chamber main event that will go down in wrestling history.

Having just executing a devastating "Guerrilla Press" to beat CM Punk for a shot at a world championship title, John Cena hugged Rhodes, who had emerged to congratulate him, before kicking him in the groin under the instruction of The Rock, thus turning "heel" for just the second time in his remarkable career.

Before 2025, John Cena's sole consistent heel run was between 2002 and 2003, when he began as a fierce and outspoken rapper known as the "Doctor of Thuganomics," who humiliated opponents with freestyle rhymes. Playing a classic antagonist from mid-2002, this character feuded with Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero but turned face in early 2004 as audience support surged.

John Cena dropped the heel image with his U.S. Championship victory, became a babyface icon by 2005, and stayed that way for two decades until this turn in 2025.

But having rejected the concept for most of his career, why is John Cena turning heel now in 2025?

The temptation of a 17th World Championship

Cena's villainous drive to turn heel is mostly directed towards a historical record. His star-studded career has already earned him 16 world championships, tied with "Nature Boy" Ric Flair; however, since 2017 the 17th title has always remained elusive, especially with his move to part-time status, making "clean victories" increasingly difficult.

John Cena, with the road to honour blocked, is essentially finding a shortcut by "selling his soul," just like Hogan in 1996 (WCW), in a traditional metaphor prevalent in American entertainment.

With the Rock's machinations evocative of the 2003 "Hollywood Rock" attitude, Cena's metamorphosis is not only about turning heel but also highlights a legendary figure betting everything on his historical status to get what he wants in the twilight of his career.

WWE's chessboard: Cena is Cody Rhodes' "perfect nemesis”

Cody Rhodes is unquestionably the top babyface champion in today's WWE, but the heel roster is in a "depth crisis."

Dwayne Johnson finds it challenging to commit totally to a villain role because of his part-time work and TKO board membership, while the current crop of “bad guys” also lack Cena's box office attraction and reputation.

With Cena's 16-title record, superstar aura, historical ties to Johnson (the unfinished business from the 2012 "Battle of the Century"), and the identity split between "Hollywood Cena" and "Ring Cena," he would thus be the ideal villain for Cody's "American Nightmare" trip.

This not only reproduces the dramatic tension of The Rock's best villain years from 1999–2000 but also reduces Cody's chance of being compelled to "flip heel," like with Roman Reigns.

Furthermore, with RAW's worldwide release on Netflix in January 2025 desperately needing an epic confrontation of "good vs. evil," Cena's transition comes at just the ideal moment to introduce classic wrestling drama into WWE's "streaming era."

Retirement imminent: The perfect timing

WWE tentatively laid the foundation for Cena's potential as a villain as early as 2012, during the fued with Dwayne "The Rock," but dropped the idea due to concerns about losing the "saintly image" and "PG-era moral icon" shaped by his 200+ acts of kindness with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

In his March 2024 interview with well-known podcaster Chris Van Vliet, John Cena himself noted that role changes cannot be forced because "fans have a great bullshit meter, so if it feels transparent—like, 'Oh, he's just doing this to do it'—they'll see right through it.”

However, Cena has already announced that he would start a "retirement tour" of 35–40 events in 2025, which will culminate at WrestleMania 41. Retirement releases him from these bonds of servitude and negates the need to protect his image.

Additionally, John Cena's Hollywood career success—in "Peacemaker" and "Suicide Squad"—means he is free from concern about economic value, while his charity halo has confirmed into an "immortal label" whose legacy cannot be tainted by a fleeting villainous stain.

More crucially, heel Cena in 2025 is portraying a more nuanced "mature villain"—one that not only escapes the fans' "hypocrisy radar" but also honours his 2002 "Slim Shady" phase by means of opportunism and cold-blooded treachery.

The timing is also ideal since Cena is passing the mantle unambiguously. Just as "Hollywood Rock" in 2003 redefined how to be an arrogant villain, Cena's transition to heel really opens the path for the new generation (Cody, Roman Reigns), while honouring his own "Thug Life" roots (the 2002–2003 rap villain persona).

The final struggle of a legend

Though there are conflicting voices in this divergence in career path—especially with Cena having previously turned down Rock's alliance invitation in the 2024 "Contract Ladder Tournament"—this story's self-consistent of “ambition corrupts heroes” is a classic theme that justifies his change from ingrained babyface to heel.

In fact, Cena's cause for treachery being manipulation from The Rock even gives room for final day drama, as he could reignite his age-long rivalry with Johnson by switching back to heel. Whichever the result, this change has given WWE much-needed buzz and debate.

From Hogan's "Hollywood Betrayal" in WCW 1996 to Cena's "Power Play" in 2025, the heel turn has always been a nuclear-level story for great wrestlers to rewrite their legacy.

For WWE, this is a high-stakes narrative gamble with the reasonable possibility that Cena's legacy is already confirmed and the controversy will only intensify the ticket business potential of WrestleMania 41; for Cena, this is the last chance to break free from the constraints of the "PG Era".

This new Cena is a mature villain buoyed by obsession and legacy, not the 2002 punk who chewed gum and provoked the whole audience.