WWE: Ways John Cena Can Turn Heel

The “poster boy” of the WWE over the past five years has undeniably been John Cena.  His hard-working, "never quit" attitude and exciting energy have made him the most popular superstar of this era. 

However, Cena’s character has become stale and fans are beginning to turn on him more and more as each week passes.  With this hatred toward John Cena, fans are giving their support to new rising stars like CM Punk and Randy Orton. 

The buzz around the WWE universe is for a John Cena heel turn and now may be the safest time because of the rise in popularity of other superstars.  This heel turn for Cena may also give the WWE a shot of adrenaline that it so desperately needs and help move them away from the PG era (if that is what they want).

There are many different angles that the WWE could go in turning John Cena heel.

The Rock (WrestleMania 28)

John Cena and the Rock have developed a strong feud and this is could be the easiest way for Cena to turn heel.  The Rock literally has to show up on Raw for 15 minutes every three months and he easily gets a bigger cheer than John Cena. 

This basically shows that John Cena must be the heel in this match.  Although many may wish that the Cena heel turn happens sooner rather than at WrestleMania, it is possible that it may not happen until then. 

Here’s how it could go down:

Cena pins the Rock after a long match without interference.  Cena lingers in the ring until the Rock gets up, and the Rock then reaches his hand out to congratulate Cena.  Cena takes Rocks hand and turns it into an attitude adjustment.  Then Cena loses it, grabs a chair and delivers several chair shots to the Rock until he is eventually stopped by an outrageous amount of WWE security.

Mick Foley

Mick Foley’s return to the WWE can be described in three ways… overshadowed, forgettable, and irrelevant.  He was overshadowed by the Rock because he returned on the same night that Raw got “rocked.”  

Forgettable because of a horrible John Cena “This is Your Life.” Irrelevant because he just hasn’t done much since coming back.

Foley has, however, been vocal about John Cena and the possible heel turn.  He feels that it is possible that once Cena turns heel, the fans that dislike him will begin to cheer for him.  This scenario that Foley is talking about would be like Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was supposed to be a heel, but everybody still loved him.

Here’s how it could go down:

Mick Foley has too much wear and tear on his body that he cannot compete on a regular basis.  A direction (which Foley is lacking) that he could take is as a manager.  He could be John Cena’s manager and guide Cena into being a heel. 

Foley could help make John Cena’s intensity blow the roof off every arena they go to. Foley could also show some bitterness towards the Rock because of the Rock bottom that cut his “This is Your Life” segment short.  This might work because both Cena and Foley seem to be looking for a real direction right now.

CM Punk

CM Punk is becoming one of, if he isn’t already, the most popular superstar. The feud between John Cena and CM Punk over the summer is what gave Punk the angle and boost he has now.  The rivalry also gave fans the best match of the year at Money in the Bank. 

Here’s how it could go down:

This feud could spark from a jealousy angle or have Cena and Punk trying to “one up” each other to see who is the face of the company.  This will clearly make Cena the one who lacks the support of the fans, because they will be behind the champion.  Have this feud end after one match, possibly at Royal Rumble because neither Cena or Punk need to be in the Rumble, and have Cena use some dirty tactics against Punk and get disqualified, and beat on Punk more after getting disqualified.

Zack Ryder

This angle would make Cena turn heel sooner rather than later.  Cena gave up his title shot, so that Ryder could get his well deserved shot at the U.S Championship.

Here’s how it could go down:

If Ryder wins the belt:

Cena could look for some kind of credit or appreciation from Zack Ryder’s victory but fails to get it.   This could lead to Cena finally snapping and goes off on the new U.S Champion and anybody else in his path.  He could start wreaking havoc in the WWE, similar to Stone Cold and Awesome Truth.  He could ruin matches and destroy all things that John Laurinaitis tries to set up. 

If Ryder does not win the belt:

Cena could be beyond frustrated with Ryder for failing to win the belt and wasting his opportunity and Cena’s title opportunity.  He could start a feud with Ryder which will help put Ryder over in the process.

Join Forces with a Heel

Cena could pair up alongside one of WWE’s best heels.  This heel could be someone like Kevin Nash or the Miz.  Although the WWE might not rush to pair Miz up with another superstar again as he is poised to get a singles push.

Here’s how it could go down:

Joins forces with Nash:

Kevin Nash is no stranger to stables as he is the founder of the NWO and the Clique.  Nash could try and create another strong stable and start with Cena.  He could recruit and persuade Cena into joining forces and could start something pretty significant.  This would also help Nash who is incapable of performing every week and moves almost as slow as the Great Khali. 

Joins forces with the Miz:

This angle could be very interesting and it doesn’t have to be like Awesome Truth, where both superstars were always together.  This could sort of be a mutual respect for each other and once in a while pairings or interferences in matches.

Conclusion

If Cena’s heel turn is done right it will open new doors for the WWE and give them so many more opportunities.  We could see some matches that we haven’t seen yet or see matches that we have seen but from a different perspective.  It also could mean more backstage attacks and parking lot brawls.  Ultimately, John Cena would instantly become the top heel in the company and can be instrumental in moving the WWE from the PG era to their next era.