After spending the majority of 2025 as a heel for the first time in over two decades, John Cena made the decision to turn back into a babyface on the final episode of SmackDown before the SummerSlam premium live event. In the post-show press conference for Clash in Paris, the 17-time World Champion opened up about the decision, stating that it was all about listening to the WWE fans. He explained that while taking bold risks is part of the business, going against the will of the audience is a “losing battle.”
Cena’s heel turn was a shocking moment that occurred at the Elimination Chamber premium live event in February, where he aligned himself with The Rock. The run saw him capture his record-breaking 17th World Championship at WrestleMania 41. However, as the months went on, the crowd’s reaction began to shift, with many fans continuing to cheer for the superstar they had followed for two decades. The decision to turn him back to a babyface was a direct response to that growing sentiment from the fans.
He explained the thought process behind the character shift. “Keep in mind, what we do is try to entertain the audience as best we can,” he said. “And sometimes, that involves taking risks and sometimes, that takes being bold. You also have to listen to the audience. It got to a point where, Cena vs. Randy, you start hearing this,” he said, referencing the cheering fans in the audience. “Cena vs. Punk in Saudi, you start hearing the noise. Cena-Cody WrestleMania, Cena-Cody SummerSlam, it changes. Sometimes, you can make bold and brave new moves, but going against this body of energy is a losing battle. So sometimes, you just gotta listen and pivot, change course.”
Cena also spoke about the opportunity to apologize to a young fan in Brussels that he had insulted during his heel run. “To be able to apologize to my man,” he said, “It’s great. To be able to say sorry, and to be able to say I‘m sorry because I said hurtful things. I was having a bad day, so to speak. I think we’ll reflect on this a whole lot more in January.”
Cena’s successful babyface return continued at Clash in Paris, where he defeated Logan Paul. He now has just eight dates left on his retirement tour, which is scheduled to end on December 13.
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