Why WWE Abandoned John Cena's Heel Run (WWE News)
Real reason for John Cena's SmackDown babyface turn revealed following SummerSlam 2025.
John Cena's sudden babyface turn on last week's WWE SmackDown was reportedly a product of two things:
1. A belief that Cena's heel run "sucked."
2. WWE wanting Cena to be the face in his impending feud with Brock Lesnar.
This is per Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, following Cena repositioning himself as a babyface opposite Cody Rhodes on SmackDown, then losing the Undisputed WWE Championship to Rhodes at SummerSlam, before taking an F5 from the returning Lesnar.
“I think the deal is they dropped it because it sucked," said Meltzer, "but also because a John Cena/Brock Lesnar program, which is obviously what they’re doing, does work better with Lesnar as the heel.”
Metlzer's co-host, Bryan Alvarez, added that he believes WWE wanted Cena to turn before wrestling Rhodes because they believe Cena is a better wrestler as a babyface, thus improving the SummerSlam main event's quality.
Rhodes defeated Cena in around 37 minutes on SummerSlam 2025's Sunday show, reclaiming the Undisputed WWE Championship he lost to the 17-time World Champion at WrestleMania 41. Lesnar, returning to WWE for the first time in two years, attacked John after the bell, which Paul Levesque has claimed was a product of Cena asking to work with Brock on his retirement tour.
Cena's SmackDown turn sparked speculation that he would revert to his heel role at SummerSlam, swerving Rhodes in an attempt at retaining the Undisputed WWE Title. This wasn't the case. The 48-year-old worked as a traditional babyface from bell to bell.
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