John Cena On His Heel Turn: ‘It Left A Taste In People’s Mouths That They Didn’t Like It’ — But He Has Zero Regrets

John Cena has said his 2025 WWE heel turn left a taste in people’s mouths that they didn’t like, but that he has no regrets about it because there was simply never enough time to tell the story properly.

Speaking on the Bill Simmons Podcast ahead of his final match, Cena addressed the heel run directly.

“I think a lot of people were wondering, ‘What would happen if John Cena turned heel?’ When I did, it left a taste in people’s mouths that they didn’t like it. They wanted other stuff. ‘I wanted a music change, a uniform change, to act like this.’ I got 11 months to do this. Thirty-six TV appearances. It takes five years to get a guy over, regardless. If you turn him, it’s going to take a year or two on television for it to sink in, especially if you really want to get into it and be able to flip and get a performer to get a flip on the other side when it’s time to turn again. I don’t have the time to tell the right story.”

He said he gave everything he had to the run and has no regrets.

“Not at all. What is perfect? Perfect is never achievable. That’s a sucker’s chase. When I look back on it, could I have given any more than I did? Not a bit. I over-prepared.”

Cena turned heel at Elimination Chamber 2025, aligning with The Rock and Travis Scott to attack Cody Rhodes after winning the Chamber match. He won the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41 for a record 17th time before turning babyface again ahead of SummerSlam. His final match was against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, 2025.