John Cena turned heel in unexpected WWE move. What that means
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For more than 20 years, John Cena established himself as one of WWE’s ultimate good guys — a 16-time world champion who preached hustle, loyalty and respect.
That’s why it was so shocking when Cena did something so disrespectful at WWE’s Elimination Chamber event in Toronto on Saturday, March 1.
Moments after he won the men’s 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 wasn’t there just to congratulate Cena — he was also there to respond to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s demand that Rhodes sell his soul to him. (If that sounds unusual to you, well, just know that it’s 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 Cena’s cue to kick Rhodes in the groin, to the utter shock of the live crowd. He then proceeded to hit Rhodes with objects including Rhodes’ championship belt.
In short, Cena turned heel — a wrestling phrase that indicates a good guy became a bad guy.
It’s 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.
“Cena’s face muscles going into heel mode is one of the coldest faces I’ve ever seen. Top tier,” wrote one fan in the comments of a YouTube video WWE posted of the heel turn.
“This is genuinely one of the most insane moments in the history of this company,” wrote another.
A number of fans capitalized on Cena’s support of Make-a-Wish while sharing their reactions to the big move. “Cena starts Break-A-Wish Foundation,” 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.
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. Cena’s heel turn was so unusual and so unexpected because he’s 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 he’ll enter WWE’s biggest event of the year as one of the company’s top heels.
Shane Lou is a senior editor for TODAY.com.
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