John Cena’s short-lived heel turn earlier this year is widely seen as a creative misstep, but one of WWE’s longest-tenured stars has stepped up in its defense. The Miz offered an alternate view of the storyline, calling it an angle that sparked intrigue precisely because it went against nearly two decades of Cena’s established role.
Cena’s turn came at Elimination Chamber, when he aligned with The Rock in an attack on Cody Rhodes—a shocking pivot for a performer long positioned as WWE’s ultimate babyface. The run ended abruptly before SummerSlam, and the reception was largely negative. Cena himself later admitted that his heel promo on the March 17 episode of Raw fell flat.
Speaking on the Bussin’ With The Boys Podcast, The Miz broke character to argue that the decision still carried value. “I thought it created intrigue and interest because John was never a bad guy,” Miz said. “For 99% of his career, he’s been the uber baby [face]. Even when people wanted him to change and go to a bad guy, he never did… It creates intrigue. It’s like, ‘Oh, he’s never done that.’”
Miz went further, praising Cena’s overall ability and work ethic. “John can make anything work. John is just that talented… It’s the work ethic that John Cena has. And he’s parlayed it to every person that he’s come across. Like for me, like my work ethic stems from what he has put upon me.”
Reflecting on his own career, which has seen its share of abrupt booking shifts—including a scrapped WWE Championship tournament win in 2011—Miz concluded that the heel run served its purpose. “Everyone’s talking about it because it’s John Cena,” he said. “And then when he changed back, it created that much more, like, yes, he’s back. Our guy’s back.”