5 Things that would have happened if WWE turned John Cena heel in 2012
One of the biggest missed opportunities in WWE history came when John Cena remained a babyface during the early 2010s. Vince McMahon nearly approved a heel turn for the Cenation Leader in 2012 but decided not to go ahead with the move.
The WWE Chairman ended up getting cold feet due to the lack of a suitable replacement. A heel turn for Cena would have made a lot of sense in 2012, which was dubbed by him as the "worst year of his career."
The 16-time world champion lost his big match with The Rock at WrestleMania 28, before getting beaten up by Brock Lesnar, embarrassed by John Laurinaitis and failing with his Money in the Bank cash-in. CM Punk ended up turning heel immediately after the cash-in attempt but what if John Cena was the one to do so at RAW 1000?
This would have been a major move, with an effect similar to Hulk Hogan's heel turn in WCW in 1996. It would have revitalized Cena's character, which got slightly stale during the PG Era.
Let's go back nine years to 2012 and imagine a world in which John Cena turned heel. Here are five things that would have happened had WWE pulled the trigger on it.
#5 John Cena forms his own nWo
Alluded to in the Firefly Fun House Match at WrestleMania 36, an nWo stable built around John Cena would have been interesting. A heel turn of such magnitude would have brought several changes to his character. Aside from his attitude, Cena's wrestling style would change.
Much like Hulk Hogan had Scott Hall and Kevin Nash alongside him, John Cena would have had a similar level of stars to complement his new persona. The Big Show and Randy Orton come to mind, who were established Superstars in 2012.
While the primary motive of Cena's nWo would be to tyrannically help him remain on top, some new stars could have been created along the way. This may have been a creative way to debut the members of The Shield as a unit or separately. Other heels from 2013 like Cody Rhodes and Curtis Axel would have been good fits for Cena's nWo also.
A hypothetical John Cena-led nWo would have become the most dominant stable in WWE history, with members spanning across all divisions and positions on the card.
It could have also nullified The Authority or simply incorporated it into their act. WWE would have been so much better in the mid-2010s.