3 reasons why John Cena turned heel at Elimination Chamber 2025

John Cena sent shockwaves in the WWE universe by turning heel at the Elimination Chamber 2025. The 16-time world champion sold his soul to The Rock and attacked Cody Rhodes. Many die-hard fans are still unable to digest the fact that Cena chose to play the role of a bad guy. However, there are many reasons behind Cena's choice to join forces with The Final Boss.

Also Read: Top 5 greatest heel turns in the WWE and WCW history ft. John Cena

The Rock and John did not get along well about 11 months ago when the former interfered in the latter's business. In fact, John was on Cody's side against the Bloodline and helped the American Nightmare to finish his story. Things have changed too drastically in under a year. There are three main reasons behind John Cena turning heel in his farewell tour.

3 reasons why John Cena turned heel at Elimination Chamber 2025

3. John Cena's lack of time to become a record 17th-time world champion

John Cena is on his farewell tour, which will last till December 2025. It is not easy for someone to be in the Main Event scenario and actually be able to dethrone someone like Cody Rhodes to become a record 17th time world champion. Cena is no more the SuperCena everyone knows. He is not invincible and had a long losing streak that lasted for over 2100 days.

As an in-ring performer, Cena cannot deliver his best at his age. Hence, joining forces with The Rock would mean bypassing the difficult route to climb to the top of the ladder. With the Final Boss on his side, Cena can use the power of the top hierarchy to his advantage and get easy shots at the world title. It wouldn't be possible without the help of The Rock.

2. John Cena no longer has to sell merchandise and tickets and care for 'good people' 

The major reason behind Cena turning heel today is the same reason he did not play the bad guy for over 20 years in his career. John was the top babyface of the company who had to play the good guy to cater to the female and younger audience. If he were to play the bad role, it would affect the business badly, considering kids made up a huge count of the viewership.

Cena was WWE's top ticket and merchandise seller for numerous years. From 2005 to 2017, there wasn't a lot of room for him to play the bad guy. In 2025, he no longer has to carry the company on the back of his shoulders. There have been able replacements in Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and Jey Uso, who have been responsible for the growth of the company post-pandemic.

1. John Cena needs a heel turn for his legacy

More importantly, a heel turn is necessary for someone like John, who was mostly a babyface for the majority of his career. Exploring one's dark side proves the versatility of an individual. Cena in his Ruthless Aggression days was a different character from the Doctor of Thuganomics. He embraced the bad role very early in his career and got only a little time to be in the same character.

The time has come for him to play an out-and-out bad character as it will be important for his legacy. Many know how good Cena was as a good character. But a terrific heel run for 10 months might put him on the pedestal of arguably the Greatest WWE Superstar. He is right up there even now, but a heel turn would make his case much stronger.