Where Does John Cena Attacking Cody Rhodes Rank Among WWE's Greatest Heel Turns Ever?

If any one moment could forever the landscape of WWE, it may just have just happened at Elimination Chamber 2025 in the form of John Cena turning heel.

Aside from Brock Lesnar breaking The Undertaker's iconic undefeated WrestleMania streak in 2014, arguably nothing else in the history of the company has been in the making longer than Cena finally turning his back on the fans.

His vicious assault on beloved undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes and subsequent joining of forces with The Rock sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling world and immediately left fans debating its place in history.

Of course, Hulk Hogan revealing himself as New World Order's third man has served as the standard for pro wrestling heel turns over the last 30 years, especially considered all of the success that stemmed from it. However, that fell under the banner of World Championship Wrestling and can't be counted toward WWE's most elite heel turns.

A case can be made for Vince McMahon costing Bret Hart the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1997 being included, but as a real-life situation, that was more so designed to get the belt off of Hart than it was to flip the switch with then-commentator McMahon, even though that's exactly what it accomplished in the long run.

Cena's upcoming heel turn has the potential to be a game-changer for WWE, but where does the moment rank among the promotion's greatest heel turns ever and the aftermath of each one?

Honorable Mentions

Triple H (Raw, July 22, 2002)

After excelling as WWE's premier heel in the absence of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in 2000 and into 2001, Triple H returned from a lengthy layoff at the onset of 2002 as the company's conquering babyface. The only issue was, the fans didn't take to him in that role, causing him to revert to his heel roots by betraying D-Generation X cohort Shawn Michaels in shocking fashion that summer.

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Mark Henry (Raw, June 17, 2013)

Let the record show that Henry was already a heel prior to the promo he cut on this show, but in announcing his in-ring "retirement," the fans in attendance treated him with the utmost respect. His emotional address made his attack on John Cena all the more impactful.

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Larry Zbyszko (January 22, 1980)

One of wrestling's first truly great heel turns came when Zbyszko turned on Bruno Sammartino in early 1980 following growing frustration that he couldn't escape his mentor's shadow. Their simple-yet-captivating storyline spanned a solid stretch of the year and culminated in a classic cage match that August in front of nearly 40,000 fans at Shea Stadium.

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CM Punk (Raw, July 23, 2012)

WWE mastered Punk's 434-day reign as WWE champion in 2011 through 2013 by having him work as a babyface for the first half and turning him heel for the second. The best part about the turn was that it made total sense in that he felt disrespected and overlooked in favor of Cena. His emphatic GTS to The Rock closed Raw's historic 1,000th episode on the most compelling note possible.

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Chris Jericho (Raw, June 2, 2008)

The best heel turns are the ones that are the most justified. Jericho found himself in this exact spot in 2008 when he was disgusted by the fans cheering for Michaels despite his heel-esque behavior, leading to him snapping on The Heartbreak Kid during an edition of The Highlight Reel. It was the catalyst for the strongest work Jericho has done in his entire career.

10. The New Day (Raw, Dec. 2, 2024)

Although the trio of Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E made their New Day debut in November 2014 as purveyors of positivity, it wasn't long before fans turned on them because of how hollow their gimmick ran.

They were excellent heels upon turning in the spring of 2015, but they were entertaining enough that they eventually endeared themselves to the audience and became babyfaces again by early 2016. They remained in that role for the next nine years.

The New Day have had unparalleled success both as a group and individually, but their lack of evolution in recent years caused them to grow stale. Kingston and Woods teasing tension after Big E was sidelined indefinitely with a neck injury led to them garnering more interest from fans than they had in many years.

The grand payoff to the angle was expected to be Kingston and Woods going their separate ways on the night of their 10th anniversary, but they found common ground when Big E returned. E's valiant attempt to get them to reconcile worked, but not in the way he anticipated.

Kingston and Woods proceeded to vent their frustration with him "moving on" from The New Day and unceremoniously exiled him from the stable to a chorus of boos. It was an outstanding segment that will be made even better by Big E hopefully getting back in the ring at some point to get revenge on his former friends.

9. Randy Savage (The Main Event II, Feb. 1989)

The explosion of The Mega Powers may always be the benchmark for breakups of pro wrestling tag teams.

Separately, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were already the two biggest stars in the industry in 1988 with the former fresh off a four-year run as WWE champion and the latter capturing the prestigious prize for the first time by winning an entire tournament in one night at WrestleMania 4.

Together, they were an unstoppable force.

The duo collectively known as The Mega Powers ran roughshod over every heel tandem that stepped up to take them on, all while Savage's paranoia grew. Believing that he was starting to see lust for his manager Miss Elizabeth in Hogan's eyes, The Macho Man heartbreakingly betrayed his teammate at The Main Event II in February 1989.

That began the build for what turned out to be a top-notch WrestleMania main event between the two, won by Hogan. The slow-burn approach to Savage's descent into madness made for compelling programming and only added to his colorful character.

8. The Rock (Survivor Series, Nov. 1998)

It's entirely possible The Rock wouldn't have reached the levels of superstardom in WWE that he did without embracing the hate he was receiving early on his career and organically going heel by joining The Nation of Domination.

It was during that run when fans started to see what he was capable of and that Rock found his footing as a performer. He slid back into the babyface role soon after and was on the ascent toward the WWE Championship when he was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime in late 1998: becoming Mr. McMahon's corporate champion.

There were few signs that suggested Rock would be the one to accept McMahon's offer. Instead, Mankind was positioned as The Chairman's handpicked choice to win the Deadly Games tournament at Survivor Series 1998 and clinch the vacant WWE Championship.

The closing sequence of the tourney finals with Vince and Shane McMahon revealing they were in cahoots with Rock to ensure he walked away with the gold was brilliantly executed and laid the groundwork for Rock's WrestleMania match against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin the subsequent spring.

The Great One was an even bigger, more beloved babyface by the time he turned again in April 1999.

7. Andre the Giant (Feb. 7, 1987)

Andre the Giant was such a perfect foil for the all-American hero Hulk Hogan heading into WrestleMania III that most modern-day fans of the product forget he was a babyface for his whole career prior to that point.

In many ways, Andre was the ultimate attraction that transcended the wrestling world and into pop culture. His heel turn at the onset of 1987 came as a shock to everyone who had been behind him for all those years, especially once he agreed to bring on Bobby "The Brain" Heenan as his manager.

Although Heenan was there to do the talking for Andre, the few words Andre did mutter to Hogan when they made their match official for WrestleMania 3 packed a punch. He also sent a message by ripping Hogan's shirt and snatching the crucifix from his chest.

Andre had every reason to be upset with Hogan after being presented a significantly smaller trophy mere weeks earlier for being undefeated, while Hogan had only been champ for just over a year.

Their match at WrestleMania 3 and specifically the slam Hogan hit Andre hit are ingrained in the annals of WWE history forever.

6. Roman Reigns (SmackDown, Aug. 28, 2020)

Had fans been present during that period, Roman Reigns turning heel in a packed arena might have ranked higher on this list. However, even with the hand WWE was dealt due to the pandemic at the time, it made the most of the circumstances and delivered one of the best cliffhangers in company history, anyway.

Reigns willingly stepped away from WWE programming for five months and had just resurfaced at SummerSlam sporting a slightly different look and exhibiting more aggressive traits than what fans had come to expect from The Big Dog.

What fans didn't yet know was that The Big Dog was dead, and The Tribal Chief was about to be born.

The heelish tendencies were interesting but far from confirmed he'd be a full-blown villain going forward. It wasn't until SmackDown the following Friday that he cemented his heel turn by establishing the nefarious Paul Heyman as his new advocate.

The camera panning over to the right to reveal Heyman sitting beside Reigns on the couch as he signed the contract for his Universal Championship opportunity that Sunday—a match he'd win and embark on a near-four-year title run from that point forward—was cinematic storytelling at its finest.

5. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin (WrestleMania 17, April 1, 2001)

Without a heel as exceptional as Mr. McMahon to oppose him, it's unknown what heights "Stone Cold" Steve Austin would have reached as a main event-caliber competitor in WWE and how long his time on top would have lasted.

The two were wrestling soulmates, purely from a character standpoint for the simple fact that they complemented each other so well. They feuded on and off for years and it was largely exciting every time they rekindled their rivalry.

There was value in one day exploring what an alliance between them would have looked like, but not when WWE did. Pulling on that trigger to close WrestleMania 17, while a spectacular visual, essentially ended the Attitude Era and chased off a considerable amount of the fanbase that never returned.

Austin forging a friendship with McMahon went against everything The Texas Rattlesnake stood for, which is why it had potential. The execution of it to close 'Mania was also unforgettable with Austin battering The Rock with a chair handed to him by McMahon, his longtime archnemesis.

This would have ranked higher had it been done differently and had the follow-up not fallen flat. Fans weren't ready to boo Austin just yet, but that didn't make this moment any less surreal.

4. Shawn Michaels (Wrestling Challenge, Jan. 11, 1992)

Amazingly, The Rockers never once officially held tag team gold in WWE during their many years together, but by 1992, that ship had sailed and Shawn Michaels was long overdue for a push as a singles star.

They followed the same formula most tag teams do on the verge of splitting up: They racked up various losses, teased tension, nearly got back on the same page and executed the breakup when fans grew skeptical of whether it would actually happen.

The storytelling was simple, but the turn itself has stood the test of time.

Michaels and Marty Jannetty appeared on The Barber Shop to put their differences aside, but the former was more concerned with cementing his split from the latter once and for all.

He did so by hitting him with his patented Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere, much to the shock of the studio audience in attendance. He then took an unconscious Jannetty and through him head first through the window.

The upsetting act of betrayal set the tone for The Heartbreak Kid's incredibly successful solo run and the rest is history.

3. Seth Rollins (Raw, June 2, 2014)

Some of the most memorable heel turns are those fans don't see coming, and for better or worse, Seth Rollins' remarkable character shift in June 2014 falls into that category.

One night removed from The Shield's clean sweep of Evolution in the main event of Payback, Triple H and Randy Orton were put in a precarious position when Batista quit the company and left The Authority hanging high and dry.

They wasted no time in finding a replacement in Rollins, who was previously riding high with The Shield and had shown no signs of dissension with Roman Reigns or Dean Ambrose whatsoever.

As a result, Rollins' betrayal of his brethren was truly shocking. The crowd was stunned silent as he relentlessly attacked his then-stablemates with a chair over and over again.

Rollins revealed shortly thereafter that he agreed to sell out to The Authority because he knew it'd cause his career to skyrocket, and it did. He won the Money in the Bank ladder match within weeks of joining the group and cashed in successfully by the next year's WrestleMania to win the WWE Championship.

An overwhelmingly majority of fans weren't ready for The Shield to split up, which is why no heel turn in modern history—if ever—has elicited this same sort of reaction.

2. John Cena (Elimination Chamber, March 1, 2025)

Fans were aware that John Cena selling his soul to The Rock was an option when The Final Boss returned on SmackDown to scout Cody Rhodes as "his" champion, but WWE actually following through with it was what was so unreal about the angle, if only because the company had hesitated on countless occasions in the past to flip the switch with Cena.

Although WWE has since entered a new regime, there didn't seem to be a logical reason as to why The GOAT would leave his comfort zone for his final year in the ring and turn heel when he was finally being unanimously cheered by crowds.

We have yet to find out exactly what his reasoning was for turning heel, but the fact that it happened at all earns it a top spot on the list.

Cena has been the prototypical babyface for over two decades. After so many years, most of the audience gave up on the idea of it coming to fruition because management was evidently vehemently against it.

From here, it's all about the aftermath. WWE and Cena will need to go all-out with this to ensure it's successful and make it worthwhile because the chances of it backfiring are higher than some might think.

If executed properly, though, there's no telling what can come out of it and if it will eventually surpass this next heel turn as the greatest of all time.

1. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13, March 23, 1997)

From the turn itself to everything that came after, Bret Hart's heel run in 1997 was pure perfection and set the bar for all future villainous turns in WWE.

Despite doing virtually nothing wrong in the buildup to WrestleMania 13, Hart was constantly shortchanged by management. That was in addition to the tide turning in the favor of newcomer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who the crowd gradually took a liking to regardless of his actions toward Hart.

The Hitman went so far as to call it quits prior to the pay-per-view, though it was worked out in time for him to face Austin at the event. There, he forced a bloodied Texas Rattlesnake to pass out to the Sharpshooter and resumed his assault on him afterward, thus cementing the turn that had been in the works for months by then.

The match is highly regarded as being among the best in WrestleMania history, and the ramifications that finish had on the forthcoming Attitude Era can't be understated.

Hart was adamant that he be cheered in his home country of Canada but booed everywhere else. It was a fascinating dynamic for a frustrated character that was quite clearly in the right but went about handling business the wrong way. The layers were welcomed during a period when shades of gray weren't typically found in most Superstars.

Heel Hart was short-lived as he infamously departed immediately following the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series that year, but the period in which it lasted was nothing short of sensational.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.