John Cena Came A Lot Closer To Becoming A Heel Than You Might Have Realized
A John Cena heel turn is something many fans have wanted to see for a long time, and a new report indicates that back in 2012 it came much closer to becoming a reality than any of us realized. Check it out...
Ah yes, the infamous John Cena heel turn discussion.
Though Cena has now established himself as the top guy in the business and has earned the respect of even his most staunchest detractors, at one time it was felt that the only way he'd ever be accepted by the majority of fans was if he turned heel (wrestling term for a bad guy). This is a tried and tested tactic that would eventually lead to him once again becoming a face (good guy), which would, in theory, get fans on his side.
While most people assume this is something that The WWE would never even consider because of how much merchandise Cena shifts as a face (among other reasons), it turns out Vince McMahon and co. not only toyed with the idea, but almost pulled the trigger on it back in 2012.
Former WWE writer Kevin Eck spilled the details during an interview with PWTorch.com:
“We were very close. We had Vince sign off on it at one point and Cena was on board to do it. We started making plans for it and then Vince got cold feet – we had just signed an exclusive Cena merchandise deal with Walmart.”
Kids don't buy as many action figures of the bad guys, after all. To be fair, this wasn't the only reason McMahon backed out, as Eck says Vince simply didn't feel there was anyone in the locker room at the time that could replace Cena as the face of the company.
“CM Punk was over but he can’t be THE guy and it can’t be Randy Orton because he hates people.”
So there you have it. It doesn't seem very likely that WWE would turn Cena heel at this point in his career, but who knows. Tell us, would you like to see it happen someday?