For more than 20 years, John Cena established himself as one of WWEโs ultimate good guys โ a 16-time world champion who preached hustle, loyalty and respect.
Thatโs why it was so shocking when Cena did something so disrespectful at WWEโs Elimination Chamber event in Toronto on Saturday, March 1.
Moments after he won the menโs Elimination Chamber match to earn the opportunity to face Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas in April, Rhodes joined him in the ring. Rhodes wasnโt there just to congratulate Cena โ he was also there to respond to Dwayne โThe Rockโ Johnsonโs demand that Rhodes sell his soul to him. (If that sounds unusual to you, well, just know that itโs not strange in the world of professional wrestling.)
The Rock emerged from backstage, with rapper Travis Scott, asking Rhodes for his answer. Rhodes declined using colorful language, and Cena celebrated behind him. Cena then hugged Rhodes, but as they embraced, his smile transformed into a more sinister expression. He looked at The Rock, who made a throat-slashing gesture. That was Cenaโs cue to kick Rhodes in the groin, to the utter shock of the live crowd. He then proceeded to hit Rhodes with objects including Rhodesโ championship belt.
In short, Cena turned heel โ a wrestling phrase that indicates a good guy became a bad guy.
Itโs been the talk of wrestling fans since the event, with some comparing the moment to the time another wrestling hero, Hulk Hogan, famously turned heel in the 1990s.
โCenaโs face muscles going into heel mode is one of the coldest faces Iโve ever seen. Top tier,โ wrote one fan in the comments of a YouTube video WWE posted of the heel turn.
โThis is genuinely one of the most insane moments in the history of this company,โ wrote another.
A number of fans capitalized on Cena’s support of Make-a-Wish while sharing their reactions to the big move. โCena starts Break-A-Wish Foundation,โ one of the YouTube comments quipped.
Cena himself chose not to address his attack on Rhodes at a post-event press conference, staying in character as he literally dropped a mic and walked away.
What does it mean for a wrestler to turn heel?
In simple terms, a wrestler turning heel means he became a villain in the storyline. Some wrestlers switch back and forth between depicting a good guy and a bad guy over the course of their careers. Cenaโs heel turn was so unusual and so unexpected because heโs been a good guy for the vast majority of his time with WWE. (In the early days of his WWE career, his character was a villainous rapper who would tear down opponents with his rhymes.)
Another reason the heel turn is so newsworthy is that Cena is currently in the midst of a retirement tour with WWE. Instead of facing Rhodes at WrestleMania in a matchup of babyfaces (the wrestling term for a good guy), it now appears heโll enter WWEโs biggest event of the year as one of the companyโs top heels.ย
