WWE Accused of Turning John Cena Heel Without a Long-Term Plan

WWE shocked fans earlier this year by pulling the trigger on a long-awaited heel turn for John Cena—but behind the scenes, there may have been no real story to back it up. The move was billed as a seismic shift, but it’s now being criticized as nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction to backstage reshuffling involving The Rock and Cody Rhodes.

On the July 12 episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer called out WWE’s decision-making, saying the company rushed Cena’s turn without a real follow-up in place. He contrasted it with AEW’s slow-burn storytelling, citing the emotional depth of Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland’s recent sit-down segment.

“You’re going to do something that big with no idea where you’re going next? And it’s your main event program? That’s… you know, that’s bad booking. That’s on the booker of the year, you know. WWE had the chance with the Cena thing. Just compare the Cena turn and this. It’s like—my God—there’s no comparison whatsoever.”

Meltzer also claimed WWE pivoted to Cena because The Rock wanted to work with Cody Rhodes, but company leadership wasn’t on board. That left Cena as a last-minute replacement—what Meltzer called a “booby prize.”

“I don’t think they had a great story planned out. I think they just said, ‘We’re going to turn John Cena’ at the last minute. Because Rock wanted Cody. The company didn’t want Cody. And John Cena was kind of the booby prize. But we can do, ‘John Cena’s never turned—oh my God!’ So they do it. But there’s no follow-up. Clearly, there’s no follow-up. And, you know, so to me, that’s… that’s just bad booking.”

Garrett Gonzales added that the heel turn felt like a “small reboot” that fizzled fast. Meltzer said fans were excited at first, but quickly realized the turn didn’t lead anywhere.

“When it happened, everyone disagreed with you. Now everyone agrees with you… it got so much attention, but I was worried about the long-term. And now, as it’s played out, it’s just like—it didn’t go anywhere.”

John Cena’s heel turn could’ve been a once-in-a-generation storyline shift—but instead, it’s starting to look like WWE played their biggest card with no idea what came next. What should’ve been a slow-burn masterpiece turned into a headline grab with zero payoff. If this is what they consider long-term storytelling, fans might be in for more swerves than substance.

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