Paul Heyman explains why he doesn’t think it was a mistake for WWE to turn John Cena heel
While speaking to Ariel Helwani, Paul Heyman commented on WWE’s decision to turn John Cena heel. The conversation started when Helwani brought up Cena reverting back to a babyface character just prior to SummerSlam…
Helwani: “It pretty much signals an end to Heel Cena, for all intents and purposes. At least that was my read on it. It lasted from March 1st, Elimination Chamber, until this past Sunday.”
Heyman: “I think John Cena abandoned the Heel Cena character the Friday night before SummerSlam.”
Helwani: “Fair. That’s 100% fair. But I think it just put the nail in the coffin because there were some people after that promo who said, maybe he’s trying to swerve them, all this stuff. But yes, that’s two days prior. Here’s the thing. You say abandon. How would you assess it? How did it go? Now that it’s essentially come and gone, this thing that we had talked about for so many years, what would John Cena be like as a heel? How would you assess that five-month period? Was it a mistake to turn him?”
Heyman: “No.”
Helwani: “Did it go as you thought it would?”
Heyman: “No, neither. Because it opened my eyes to the fact that this is an audience that is here to see stars and performances. As much as they are rooted in the storylines, they are there to appreciate the twisted performance art known as professional wrestling in WWE. Here’s how I knew that. The moment John Cena comes out, that place went nuts. Star pop, of a magnitude few have ever experienced—rarefied air, what we in the business used to call the Road Warrior pop. I mean, just when his music hit – Austin, Rock, Cena, Roman Reigns, that level. Then once he’s out on the stage, ‘John Cena sucks, John Cena sucks.’ They’re booing him and they’re telling him that he sucks. It wasn’t even 50/50 anymore, ‘Let’s go Cena, Cena sucks.’ It was now one-third, maybe 25%, 20%, ‘Let’s go Cena, Cena sucks. Let’s go, Cena. Cena sucks.’ Boo him out of the building as a heel. The moment they saw the red light go off and they knew the show was over and he’s standing there in the ring, they all gave him a standing ovation because it’s his last time as an in-ring performer in that city, and they’re all chanting, ‘Thank you, Cena.’
The audience knew their role. That’s fascinating to watch that the audience now understands their role in all of this. I saw that curve coming, but not to the degree or that it happened so expeditiously. But the picture-perfect example of it is the reaction to Heel Cena. ‘Okay, we’re here for this ride. All right. Oh, he’s here. He’s here live. That’s John Cena. That’s a huge star. I’m seeing him live. You suck. You mother.’ The show’s over. ‘Thank you, Cena.’ I keep on banging into this. It was just fascinating to watch. I’m glad he got to do it, too, because I hate what-ifs.”