Royal Rumble 2012 Live: It Is Now or Never for John Cena's Heel Turn

The seemingly inevitable heel turn of John Cena must happen tonight, or the WWE must let him walk the Hulk Hogan path of eternal faceness (No, it's not a word; I made it up). OK, Hogan wasn't a face during his entire time in the WWE, he did have a few less than notable stints as a heel when he was young, and upon his return with the NWO. Still, most associate Hogan with being the signature face as far as the WWE is concerned.

John Cena is the closest thing to that right now, but he is aging and other younger superstars are emerging as possible successors to Cena's spot as main face draw. Some would say CM Punk is already there, but Punk has been on both sides of the fence throughout his rise, so his path hasn't been as squeaky clean as Cena's.

Stars like Kofi Kingston are waiting in the wings. Turning Cena heel will eliminate a fading and tired face angle for Cena and make room for young stars to ascend to his spot. There are no more intriguing feuds for him to have as a face. He's battled Randy Orton, Triple H and all the others. The heel turn will flip the script and present new rivalries.

It also brings a new dynamic to the WrestleMania main event. When he battles the Rock, if Cena is already an established heel, it will paint the Rock as the clear fan favorite. This match was setup a year before WrestleMania XXVII, so it's obvious Cena's direction has long been determined.

The setup is perfect for Cena to go to the dark side, and Kane is the perfect man to lead him there. Kane has been synonymous with the dark side, even during his stints as a face. The WWE is ushering him back into the main stream story lines after his injury, and his involvement is perfect here.

As they battle in their singles match, I expect to see several moments where Kane gestures Cena to join him in evil, similar to their interactions leading up to tonight's match. The moment of heel turn likely won't happen until the end of the match, with Cena making a facial expression we've yet to see from him. He'll likely be standing over a downed superstar's body, after he has done the "unthinkable."

It only seems logical that the events will play out that way. If that doesn't happen, or Cena doesn't turn heel, the WWE should just leave this alone. They could do it at WrestleMania, but doing it at the Rumble would be far more impacting.

It will give Cena an opportunity to hopefully disgust fans over the next two months and solidify his heel status for the WrestleMania main event. Main events are better with established roles. If Cena isn't a full fledged heel, then it creates a conflict and weird dynamic at the industry's biggest event.

Cena must turn tonight, and I expect he will.