WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff has graded John Cena’s final run a C, pointing to the short-lived heel turn as the main reason. On his 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff podcast, he said that although most of Cena’s retirement tour was strong, the turn damaged the larger story.
Bischoff compared the booking to a flawed movie opening. “People want to see a hero’s journey. It’s the easiest story… The heel turn attempt? Maybe the end of the movie ended up being pretty good, but you got up and walked out mentally and emotionally during the first fifteen minutes of the movie because it didn’t make any sense, and you kind of opted out. Didn’t understand it. It didn’t hit you in the feels the way you thought it would or the way you wanted it to, and it’s hard to get it back. I would give it a C. Now, if you take the heel turn out and just look at the rest of it, probably an A minus or B. It’s been pretty good except for the way it started.”
Cena’s farewell run, set to end in December, included his first heel character in over two decades. The turn took place on March 1, 2025, at Elimination Chamber, when he aligned himself with The Rock. The persona was dropped only two days before SummerSlam 2025.
The shift started after Cena won the Chamber match, earning a WWE Undisputed Championship shot against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. In the post-match segment with The Rock and rapper Travis Scott, Rhodes rejected The Rock’s proposal. Cena then blindsided Rhodes with a low blow and attacked him using a Rolex and the SmackDown title belt.
The feud climaxed at WrestleMania 41, where Cena defeated Rhodes to win his 17th world championship. According to Cena’s father, the lack of follow-through from The Rock weakened the storyline’s payoff.