'A Great Plan, But...' - Why Did John Cena's WWE Heel Turn Fade to Black After SummerSlam 2025? Former Rival Reveals All
John Cena seemingly abandoned his heel turn at the end of WWE SummerSlam 2025, and former world champion JBL has an idea as to why it never really worked.
When John Cena lost the WWE undisputed championship to Cody Rhodes in the main event of night two of WWE SummerSlam 2025, the latter not only led the tributes to Cena but also gave him time alone in the ring to soak in the adulation of fans.
The aftermath teased a feud with all-time great rival Brock Lesnar, but the big talking point was Cena dropping his heel gimmick - not only at SummerSlam 2025 but even on the preceding episode of SmackDown.
But the fact that he has now been embraced by fans again indicates an end to his short-lived heel turn, something that in the opinion of former WWE star John Bradshaw Layfield - or JBL for short - wasn't really working out in the first place.
JBL Says Fans Rejected Heel Cena
JBL, who was the man Cena first pinned to become WWE champion two decades ago, believes fans rejected the heel character because they wanted to cheer him and now appreciate him a lot more.
"You got one of the greatest of all time, in John Cena, certainly on the Mount Rushmore of almost anybody’s Mount Rushmore for people. And he had something that was not resonating. I didn’t think it was resonating, you know, as well as the people wanted to see Cena. I’m not sure they wanted to see the heel Cena. I think they just wanted to like, ‘you know what? We just love this guy. We want to see him’," JBL said on the Something to Wrestle podcast.
It is an opinion that holds some weight, as talk of a Cena heel turn stopped as soon as he became a part-timer - fans preferred cheering him during his limited appearances.
‘Heel John Cena Just Didn’t Work'
JBL further added that the idea of a heel Cena seemed great but in practicality did not work out at all.
"I think sometimes when you draw something up, it’s a great plan, and all of a sudden it doesn’t work. And I think that’s what it was… you put it out there on the field or the ring or wherever you put it out there to implement it, and it doesn’t work like you thought it would."
Cena will retire from the WWE at the end of 2025, and it is good news for fans of the ‘GOAT’ that he will go out as a beloved fan favourite once again.
Published By : Shayne Dias
Published On: 7 August 2025 at 20:35 IST