Don't Mess with Heel John Cena, Booking Rey Fenix in WWE Post-AEW, More Quick Takes

WWE's shocking decision to turn John Cena heel at Elimination Chamber is sure to shake up the remainder of the Road to WrestleMania 41 and beyond—but only if it's executed properly. 

Cena's next WWE TV appearance not being until the March 17 edition of Raw won't leave much time for his turn to live up to its full potential before his bout with undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes, which is why it's imperative he stays heel for a lot longer than just one month. 

The Road to WrestleMania is bound to feature plenty of other unpredictable twists and turns in the coming weeks, including the highly anticipated arrival of former All Elite Wrestling star Rey Fenix. 

The former tag team champ is expected to immediately reunite with his brother, Penta, in the tag team ranks.

But based on the strong singles push Penta has received on Raw thus far and the reaction it's had from fans, it would be premature for WWE to make the same mistake AEW did with The Lucha Brothers this early into their run. 

This installment of Quick Takes will discuss how Fenix should be utilized upon debuting in WWE, how AEW can fix its top title picture, how heel Bianca Belair can still happen sooner rather than later, and more.

WrestleMania 41 Is Too Soon to Turn John Cena Back Babyface

By going through with the John Cena heel turn at Elimination Chamber, WWE pulled off the seemingly impossible to add intrigue to his farewell tour and the Road to WrestleMania 41 as well as making Cody Rhodes that much more of a beloved babyface in the long run.

The endgame is clear, but the next steps WWE decides to take with the storyline are crucial in ensuring its success. That includes keeping him heel for the foreseeable future and going all-out with his character change.

Cena turning heel for the first time in decades makes the build to his bout with Rhodes infinitely more interesting and the outcome can easily go either way.

The American Nightmare has nothing to gain from retaining the gold at this stage of his near-one-year run as champion, whereas Cena holding it hostage for a few months coming out of 'Mania is the best possible story WWE can tell in the title picture.

The GOAT losing to Rhodes at The Show of Shows and immediately reverting back to his babyface roots in order to extend his championship chase would be throwing away the ultimate opportunity to switch things up with both headliners.

The soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer will undoubtedly end his iconic career as a fan favorite, but there's zero reason to rush into that when there's so much left to explore with this side of Cena.

Heel Bianca Belair Remains Realistic and Intriguing Possibility

Despite Naomi coming clean on Friday's SmackDown about attacking Jade Cargill and explaining that she did it out of loyalty to Bianca Belair, a heel turn for The EST of WWE can't be counted out completely just yet.

Cena's shocking character shift now makes it possible for anyone on the roster to follow in his footsteps, including the perennial babyface Belair. Turning her heel would also serve to make the presumed Triple Threat for the Women's World Championship even more exciting on paper.

Iyo Sky taking the title from Rhea Ripley on Raw last week made matters a lot less formulaic. Adding the Japanese star to the 'Mania mix is hardly a bad thing, but a three-way feud between three faces will grow tiresome fairly quickly unless one of them leans heel.

Belair is in desperate need of a change of pace and could use a heel turn to freshen up her stagnant character. While she may not be directly responsible for the attack on Cargill, the two could still fall out over The EST willingly teaming with Naomi in The Storm's absence and that being the catalyst for a betrayal.

Belair going rogue would set up potential matches for Sky, Ripley, Cargill and even a returning Becky Lynch down the road. There's unlimited upside, but WWE may be understandably hesitant to flip the switch with one of its most organically over stars.

Which Match Will Main-Event Night 1 of WrestleMania 41?

John Cena's Elimination Chamber triumph and subsequent betrayal of Cody Rhodes confirmed they are guaranteed to close out Night 2 of WrestleMania 41 for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

The main event of Night 1, though, is a little less certain as of now.

On paper, the long-rumored Triple Threat between Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and CM Punk has the biggest box-office potential, despite nothing tangible being on the line. Their intertwining stories have been carefully crafted and would surely close out Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 19 on a high note regardless of the outcome.

The only other suitable match for that spot is the Women's World Championship clash, which is shaping up to be a Triple Threat with Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair.

Even if Belair did turn heel prior to the pay-per-view, the match would need some serious stakes and storyline consequences to justify it going on last. That feud hasn't quite yet reached the next level, whereas Punk, Reigns and Rollins are destined to fight forever and should be positioned as the top attraction for the first night of 'Mania.

Swerve Strickland Must Dethrone Jon Moxley for AEW World Title at Dynasty

For all the "pivoting" WWE has evidently been doing as of late en route to WrestleMania 41, AEW's main event scene could use a significant shake-up of its own, especially if the dire ending to Revolution was any indication.

The Death Riders storyline has been among the worst recurring angles on AEW programming for many months, but the company has yet to pull the plug. Instead, Jon Moxley's reign of terror continues to drag down shows and hold back the top title picture from being what it could be.

The main event for Dynasty on April 6 was seemingly confirmed at Revolution when Swerve Strickland became the No. 1 contender to the AEW World Championship.

AEW is seemingly waiting until company original Darby Allin is ready to return to have him be the one who dethrones Moxley, but if his return isn't imminent, AEW must change course by giving the gold to Strickland instead.

Strickland's first reign was excellently booked and only elevated his status as a high-profile performer. He'd be more than a strong choice to take the title at Dynasty and resurrect AEW's main event scene—if only temporarily—given his recent string of show-stealers and unwavering connection to the audience.

An Immediate Lucha Brothers Reunion in WWE Is Unnecessary

It was always more a matter of when and not if Rey Fenix would wind up in WWE, and now that it's on the verge of finally becoming a reality, it's important for the company to be reminded of what it would be wasting by immediately reuniting him with his brother, Penta.

As a unit, The Lucha Brothers are one of the best tag teams in the world. Unfortunately, they were such an asset to AEW's stacked tag team division for so long that they were rarely booked as singles stars; and when they were, it was only ever to be utilized as stepping stones.

They can't suffer that same fate in WWE, at least not without Fenix being given a chance as soon as he signs to show what he's capable of on his own.

Penta being contractually free before him worked out wonderfully for the former Lucha Underground star. He has been portrayed as a hot commodity thus far and has quickly gotten himself over with the audience.

Fenix can experience similar success if he's not put right back into a tag team or slotted into the LWO. He's exceptional enough that he could get as over as his brother and be spotlighted on SmackDown while Penta rips it up on Raw.

There will come a time for when a real run for Lucha Brothers is needed in WWE's tag team ranks, but until then, let them loose individually so it means more when they do join forces again.

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.