10 Biggest WWE Missed Opportunities To Turn John Cena Heel

6. His First Title Reign

Look to CM Punk for the perfect blueprint for a long title reign. Half of it was spent with him as one of the top faces on the card, wowing the crowd with his wrestling acumen and never-give-up hardiness. The other half of the reign was spent with him as a snivelling chickens**t heel, forming a partnership with the greatest manager in the business and wowing the crowd with the number of different ways he was able to worm his way out of a match still holding the title.

It was a fantastic title run, and something that the company should have used years beforehand. During his first title reign that spanned from 2005-6, Cena began to be booed by small but vocal members of the crowd, first in his feud against Chris Jericho and louder in his subsequent feud against Kurt Angle. The WWE, probably confused by this reaction, and betting that it would pass, chose to keep him face.

They should have read the writing on the wall, they should have turned him heel. It's easy to book now in hindsight, but WWE could have potentially saved themselves an almighty headache later down the road but simply acquiescing to the fans and giving them a reason to boo Cena. They could have turned him face again later, and, like The Rock in the late 90s, he could have reconnected with the fans as a charismatic heel rather than a cheesy face.

Instead, the WWE's refusal to address Cena's problems made them seem stubborn and cemented Cena's status as a permanently divisive figure.