WWE boss pulls back curtain on John Cena heel turn ahead of WrestleMania 41

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque pulled backmost the curtain connected the thought that John Cena would go the atrocious feline for astatine slightest the opening of his farewell circuit from the company.

Cena sided with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson astatine Elimination Chamber and participated successful a beatdown of Cody Rhodes aft winning his lucifer to punch his summons to WrestleMania 41. It was a shocking infinitesimal that near pro wrestling fans, and sports fans successful general, stunned.

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John Cena, right, successful enactment against Cody Rhodes during WWE Elimination Chamber astatine Rogers Centre connected March 1, 2025 successful Toronto. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)

Levesque, who was amended known arsenic Triple H during his in-ring vocation astatine WWE, appeared connected "High Performance" and talked astir the determination to crook Cena heel. Levesque recalled wrestling Cena successful the precocious 2000s and the fans increasing bored with his "hustle, loyalty, respect" good-guy gimmick.

As Cena announced his last run, Levesque noted that helium could person done the casual happening but decided to artifact with the thought of afloat turning Cena’s character. 

"In my caput … the harmless happening to bash is simply a yearlong circuit wherever you goes municipality to town, and helium does his top hits, and it’s safe, and it’s easy, and it’s fun. But, arsenic a performer, you’re benignant of going done the motions," helium said. "You’re playing the aforesaid performance you’ve played a cardinal times. People emotion it, but I’ve seen it. It’s nice, it’s each those things, safe, easy, amusive each that stuff.

"But I went to John and said what if, what if we pulled the lever that nary 1 ever wanted to propulsion and what if we crook you bottommost due to the fact that to maine it benignant of felt like, if you ne'er bash it, boy, you conscionable kinda fto that dangling there. … Then, to me, we get to constitute for this feline that’s been the eventual bully feline for 20-plus years. We get to crook him atrocious and however does that look?"

John Cena, right, hugs Cody Rhodes during WWE Elimination Chamber astatine Rogers Centre connected March 1, 2025 successful Toronto. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)

TOM BRADY TEASES WRESTLEMANIA 41 APPEARANCE

Levesque said helium went implicit what precisely happened astatine Elimination Chamber, which took spot successful March. Rhodes is asked to merchantability his psyche to The Rock, sides with the fans, gets seemingly congratulated by Cena, and then, Cena kicks him successful the groin.

"Bad guys person to beryllium justified successful the ‘why.’ It has to marque consciousness and it tin beryllium skewed to like, ‘Well that makes sense. I don’t hold with that. I deliberation he’s wrong. I don’t hold with it. But I spot however helium could deliberation that.,’" Levesque said.

"So, successful John’s mind, for 20-plus years, ‘I’ve done everything the close way, yet you’ve told maine I suck, you’ve booed maine and you’ve said I’m Super Cena, I can’t wrestle, I lone person 5 moves, I this, I that,’ similar each the things he’s flooded for 25 years, you tin present flip that connected them and beryllium bitter. In your past run, successful your tendency to person 1 past big, palmy run, ‘I cognize my clip is moving retired and if I’m going to bash this, I mightiness not beryllium arsenic bully arsenic I utilized to be. I mightiness not beryllium arsenic fast, I mightiness not beryllium arsenic strong, I mightiness not beryllium arsenic bully of a performer, truthful I person to merchantability myself out. I person to cheat. I person to bash things that I wouldn’t person done the remainder of my vocation due to the fact that of hustle, loyalty respect, I wouldn’t person done those things but present I volition beryllium due to the fact that I’m hopeless successful my past hours.’ It makes consciousness for the character.

Levesque said Cena told him helium did not deliberation that was wherever helium would person gone for the past hurrah, but helium said, "I f---ing emotion it."

He added that Cena was up for the situation of making the assemblage hatred him. 

Cena received a tremendous magnitude of boos arsenic helium appeared connected "Monday Night Raw" a fewer times portion the institution was successful Europe. He blamed the fans for creating the idiosyncratic who helium is now, vowed to "ruin wrestling" and triumph his record-breaking 17th championship.

Jey Uso, right, pushes John Cena disconnected the ringing Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025 during the WWE Royal Rumble astatine Lucas Oil Stadium successful Indianapolis. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

It volition culminate successful a lucifer for the Undisputed WWE Championship connected Sunday astatine WrestleMania 41 astatine Allegiant Stadium successful Las Vegas.

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Cena is besides acceptable to marque an quality connected "Friday Night SmackDown" astatine the T-Mobile Arena up of the event.

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