Will John Cena Be Even MORE Over As a Heel?

Wrestling fans who remember that famous OVW class of 2022 have long reminisced about the days when John Cena was one of the best heels the WWF/WWE has ever seen. That OVW class was one of the best, with Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Batista, but it’s largely been Cena who has been the top guy in the WWE business over the last 20 years. Cena has been so good for business, in fact, that it had been 7,776 days since John Cena was last a heel, the wrestling term for a bad guy. That all changed at the last Elimination Chamber premium live events.

Now that Cena has turned heel, what can we expect from him in the lead-up to WrestleMania 42? The biggest thing to address is that Cena likely won’t be in the picture full-time until after SummerSlam, as he’s filming until around then. The film holding him up is Matchbox, based on the toys of the same name. After he’s done with that, he’s going to be rejoining the roster as they make the full-time push toward WrestleMania 42. So, don’t expect this feud with Cody Rhodes to truly take off until Cena has met his current filming obligations.

But what about after Cena returns, what can we expect then? You might have noticed that something different happened when Cena was leaving the ring with Travis “I gave Cody Rhodes a real concussion” Scott, and the Rock, but only if you were really paying attention. For the first time since ‘03, the song that accompanied Cena out of the ring was not “The Time is Now,” but rather “Word Life.” Could that mean the return of the Dr. of Thuganomics? Every single fan hopes and prays this is the case.

That said, if Cena does return to the Dr. of Thuganomics, this may make him even more over than he’s ever been in his career and that would blunt the effect of this heel turn. It really doesn’t do anyone any good if they’re cheering Cena because he’s playing the character everyone loved. If I were Cena, I would refuse to give this to fans because “they don’t deserve it after years of underappreciating him and telling him he sucks.” That would be the most effective way to generate cheap heat without the praise that would accompany his most beloved role.

It’s not like this hasn’t been done before. The Undertaker completely buried his Western mortician look following the Buried Alive match with Mankind. He did it again before his final match with AJ Styles in the Boneyard Match. If he wanted, he could draw some inspiration from Chris Jericho’s heel turn when he began wearing suits all the time and belittling the fans. It honestly makes more sense than a return to the Dr. of Thuganomics, no matter how badly I want to see that character return.

Anyone who has followed the WWF/WWE for any long length of time is likely aware of the fact that they really try to avoid booking face vs. face title matches because it really limits the type of storytelling they’re capable of performing in the lead-up to the match. Nobody wants to watch people be respectful in the build-up to a huge match, they want trash-talking and underhanded tactics from someone. Think about the match between Hogan and Warrior at WrestleMania VII and the lead-up to it. It all sucked. There was no tension. Everyone knew Warrior would win and Hogan would help him celebrate and that’s exactly what happened. Boring.

The surest way to put Rhodes over and create a massive spectacle of this match even before it happens is for Cena to develop an entirely new heel persona that only lightly pays homage to the Dr. of Thuganomics. Maybe he incorporates a rhyme here or there, but it would be cool to see him completely turn on that character, call it the dumbest thing WWF/WWE has ever made him do, and he’s done doing what they want, he’s going into business for himself. Have him only reference rapping to mock it and put it down as a cheap gimmick.

The problem with the Dr. of Thuganomics character is that he would be far too over. It’s almost the same thing as the Undertaker’s general presence. There got to a point with ‘Taker that there was nothing the WWF/WWE could do to make him a heel. People liked him even more when he was evil and underhanded. He’s talked about this several times on his YouTube channel Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway. Sometimes a gimmick is such a fan favorite that it’s simply off the table if you truly want to market the wrestler as a villain. This is where depriving fans of what they want can work to your advantage.

I don’t know what the WWE plans to do with Cena’s actual character in this feud. I do know that I’m excited to see what they do and excited to see where they take this, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t slightly worried that they’re gonna end up giving fans what they want and it’s gonna hurt the overall product. I can honestly say that I never thought I would be arguing against Cena turning heel and going back to his old persona, but the more I sit with the idea of him denying to fans, the more I feel like it would be a better heel gimmick. It would also truly piss off some fans, who just assume that’s the gimmick he’s going to pull back out.

The WWE have been working on their surprise game and one of the things they’ve really gotten good at is using real life in the script. This is the perfect chance to make the fans part of Cena’s final gimmick and nothing would likely make John happier than to see the fans fully inserted into this final heel run. Have each stop be a complete interaction with the fans and their desire to see him rap only to be denied at almost every turn. By having him only occasionally whip out his music skills for the fans, it creates a greater demand for the product and increases ticket sales on the off chance that your city is blessed with one of the few times he does his rapping gimmick again.

Whatever happens, I’m absolutely here for Cena’s final run and he will always be my second-favorite wrestler of all-time after the Undertaker. I feel blessed that my two favorites had long and illustrious careers and I can’t wait to see how WWE creative and John Cena work out this final heel run. Cena has always loved and done right by the fans, so I’m sure he has something completely amazing in store and just like you, I’ll be watching show he’s on in the lead-up to the match.

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