It took them two decades to pull it off, butWWEfinally turned John Cena heel. It cannot be understatedhow awesome it wasto see John Cena turn heel, but especially after seeing the former 16-time World Champion excel in the role, some fans are left wondering why it took WWE so long to pull the trigger.
In a guest appearance on theB4 the Bellpodcast,WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dammakes some sense of the long wait for John Cena’s heel turn. In recollecting a moment between Cena and himself at a WWE Live Event that took place decades prior, it starts to make more sense as to why WWE waited so long to turn John Cena heel.
More than anything, WWE waiting so long to turn John Cena heel boils down to him being too good at winning over crowds every time he entered hostile territory.
Rob Van Dam Highlights Why John Cena Was WWE’s Perfect Babyface
He Knew How to Win the Crowd Over When It Mattered
B4 the Bellhost, Chris Burns (who previously detailed on the podcast about the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper confiding in him about wanting tokill Mr. T on the road toWrestleMania), asks Rob Van Dam if any crowd reaction he experienced compares to the electric atmosphere for his WWE Championship match with John Cena atECW One Night Stand 2006. One such experience that Van Dam recalls happened that same year, but at a live event in Wales in the United Kingdom. He remembers the U.K. crowd vehemently booing John Cena in what RVD refers to as thefirst time he ever saw a WWE crowd turn on Cena.
RVD is asked this question at the 39:45 minute mark of the interview.
Just as fast as the crowd came around to booing him,John Cena convinced the same WWE crowd to cheer him even faster. “He was so awesome with it [that] he turned them around in, like, two minutes,” recalls a stunned RVD. All Cena had to do was grab a microphone and encourage the crowd to boo him, praising them for their energy. He told the crowd to scream as loudly as they could because it let him know they were having a good time, regardless if they loved or hated him. The encouragement was enough to have the crowd cheering him moments later.
John Cena Continued to Turn Fans Around to Him for Decades
This wasn’t the first nor the last time that John Cena would endear the WWE Universe to him. Such a moment is recounted in the “Enter John Cena” episode of the WWE Network’sRuthless Aggressiondocuseries (now available on Peacock). It was the night beforeWrestleMania 22, the first time that John Cena was set to main event on the Grandest Stage of Them All. On the road toMania, the WWE Champion’s challenger, Triple H, was being adored while the babyface Cena was becoming increasingly booed every week. This was around the time fans first started turning on him.
At the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, John Cena was scheduled to induct NFL legend William “The Refrigerator” Perry into the celebrity wing. The moment that John Cena’s music hits, the negative reaction is deafening. The pulsating boos was a sound that was still new to Cena at the time, so he didn’t know what to do. Still backstage still moments before stepping out of the Gorilla Position, Cena asks Vince McMahon what he should do.“Just go out and smile,”said the WWE Chairman. And John Cena did just that.
The Gorilla Position refers to the staging area just behind the backstage curtain right before wrestlers make their entrance. It’s the area where wrestling bookers and producers tend to watch the show all night, as did the late Gorilla Monsoon later in his career, hence the name.
In fact, John Cena did more than just go out and smile: he reacted, responded, and most importantly, acknowledged the crowd that was booing him. Much like in Wales, he encouraged the fans’ energy that was indicative of Mania season, and then showcased his million-dollar charisma. Minutes later, the venue that was once booming with hatred was filled with laughs and cheers following a fine speech from John Cena. It’s moments like these that put into perspective why WWE remained so hesitant for so long to pull the trigger on his heel turn.
WWE Never Turned John Cena Heel Because He Was Always TOO Good at Being Good
For 20 Years, WWE Crowds Couldn’t Deny John Cena No Matter How Hard They Tried
Simply put, while at the top of the ladder,John Cena was too good at being good. He had a poster boy’s winning smile, an optimism that granted hundreds of Make a Wish kids’ wishes, and a charm that can win over people of all ages. He took boos on the chin and was always able to deliver a monologue that would turn the crowd on a dime, thus winning them over. Some of the best babyfaces don’t have that ability, but John Cena had it for the better part of 20 years as a babyface, hence why it took so long to turn him heel.
It’s easy to say WWE should’ve turned him sooner, but then audiences would have missed out on the magic that is John Cena. The gift that John Cena had as a babyface only comes around once in a lifetime out of someone from any profession. WWE made sure to squeeze every last drop out of John Cena being the perfect babyface, and it’s hard to blame them after seeing the results. John Cena, in spite of how many boos he got every week, remained beloved and cheered by the masses, and now can show a new side of him asWWE’snew top heel.
