48-year-old veteran on why WWE didn't allow John Cena to turn heel
John Cena was the standard bearer and the face of the company for over a decade before becoming a part-time WWE Superstar and establishing himself as a Hollywood actor. AEW star Matt Hardy recently commented on why the company didn't allow him to turn heel after becoming a top star.
In 2005, John Cena and Batista were the biggest names in the company who climbed to the top of their brands and became world champions. Both WWE Superstars eventually left the company as they pursued a career in Hollywood and became bankable names.
During their run with the company, Batista often turned heel on either RAW or SmackDown. However, John Cena never turned heel after his early days on the blue brand. Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, the Broken One revealed why the company wanted Cena to remain a babyface:
"There's some times in WWE where those decisions are made because the real person is just such a tremendous asset to the company in so many ways. That's probably why they would never pull the trigger on it. I mean, would it have helped him in the long run? I think so. I think it would have, but I just feel like all the Make-A-Wishes, all the appearances, all the charity stuff he did, they just they wanted to keep him in that role. So that's why they kept him in that same position, kind of like on cruise control," [H/T - Fightful]
It would have been interesting to see the Leader of Cenation turn heel as the fans wanted the turn for a long time.
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John Cena wrestled on the final WWE SmackDown of 2022
Last year, John Cena made his return to WWE to celebrate his career with the company. On his 20th year anniversary, Cena addressed the audience and mentioned that he would be returning to the company in the near future.
Last month, The Bloodline issued a challenge, and Owens agreed to face Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn of the stable in a tag team match. However, the Prizefighter was unable to find a partner to go up against the stable.
THIS FRIDAY on #SmackDown
@JohnCena returns to the ring alongside @FightOwensFight to take on @WWERomanReigns & @SamiZayn!
PLUS: @RondaRousey defends the SmackDown Women's Title against @RaquelWWE.
@HeymanHustle https://t.co/xirZW8bbNi
At the end of the show, Kevin Owens revealed that John Cena would indeed return on the final episode of 2022 and team up with the Prizefighter. The Leader of Cenation made his triumphant return to the blue brand.
In the end, The Leader of the Cenation, Kevin Owens, defeated The Tribal Chief and the Honorary Uce to end the year. It will be interesting to see who Cena faces at WrestleMania 39.
Who do you think John Cena will face at WrestleMania 39? Sound off in the comment section below.