John Cena Wasn’t WWE’s First Choice for Heel Turn Against Cody Rhodes

John Cena shocked the world at Elimination Chamber when he turned on Cody Rhodes and aligned himself with The Rock—but apparently, he wasn’t WWE’s first choice for the role.

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Rock originally wanted to team up with Rhodes, but with one major twist—Cody was supposed to be the one turning heel.

“Dwayne Johnson legit, when he wasn’t going to wrestle, and decided to be a part of the Mania build, wanted to be aligned with Rhodes with Rhodes going heel,” Meltzer reported.

But WWE wasn’t about to gamble with their top babyface. “There are those in the company who believed the only thing that could have hurt the company would have been a Rhodes heel turn at this time. The feeling is that this current crowd is Cody’s crowd. There is the argument you don’t mess with a successful formula.”

Rhodes apparently shut the idea down, and WWE pivoted to Cena instead. Meltzer also noted that CM Punk was never in consideration, as Cena immediately agreed to the plans.

Now, Cena vs. Rhodes is set for WrestleMania 41, and Cena has fully embraced the dark side. But what would have happened if WWE actually went through with a Cody heel turn? Would it have hurt his momentum, or would it have been the biggest swerve in years? Drop your thoughts in the comments!