John Cena’s shocking heel turn at WWE Elimination Chamber marked his first villainous role in nearly 20 years. The 47-year-old star’s character shift stunned fans worldwide after he attacked Cody Rhodes following his Chamber match victory.
Matt Hardy addressed the unexpected development on his “Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” podcast. The wrestling veteran offered insight into why Cena might have made this dramatic character change.
I think for his final year, if it does legitimately end up being his final year, which it seems like it’s going to be, I feel like he would want to work as hard as possible, he would want to make it as memorable [as possible], he would want to supply wrestling fans with indelible memories, and I think turning heel would be something that he would totally have on the plate already. I think that would be one of his ideas as a way to go, to do something different and fresh that he’s never done.
The Hollywood star’s alliance with The Rock and Travis Scott at Elimination Chamber established one of WWE’s most significant heel factions in recent memory. This new antagonistic role marks a stark contrast to Cena’s two-decade run as WWE’s premier babyface figure.
Cena’s betrayal sets up a high-stakes Undisputed WWE Championship match against Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 on April 19-20. Victory would make Cena a 17-time world champion, breaking the record currently shared with Ric Flair.
The veteran superstar began his WWE run in 2002 and maintained a heroic persona since 2005, making this heel turn especially significant for long-time viewers. His part-time schedule in recent years has been due to acting commitments in Hollywood.
Hardy, who competed against Cena numerous times throughout their careers, brings credible perspective on the motivation behind such a major character transformation at this stage of Cena’s wrestling journey.
