10 Times WWE Babyfaces Were Heels Backstage

7. John Cena

From men only with H's in their name to a 'Champ' who told Alex Riley to STFU, John Cena took the attitude that until somebody was - in his mind - good enough to replace him, he'd rule the WWE Universe that had effectively been reshaped in his image.

One senses he doesn't really believe that's actually happened. Cena hasn't exactly given back for all that was given to him since he walked away from a full-time schedule just like he promised never to do. AJ Styles and Roman Reigns were both given pinfall victories over 'The Champ', but his infuriatingly typical "nevermind, eh?!" shrug seemed even more saccharine as he did it on the back of a film set golf cart driving him back to Hollywood.

Allegedly it only took the nod from 'Big Match John' to Vince McMahon himself to put a bullet in Baron Corbin's push (as if their SummerSlam opener didn't already manage that), but it wasn't the first time Cena had but ample space between a young star and his orbit.

In the years following his WWE exit, Alex Riley alleged that Cena waged a relentless war against him behind-the-scenes, undermining and undercutting his every move based on what he believed was a predisposed dislike that he wasn't permitted to overturn.

The record-equalling Champion was to blame entirely for one of the worst finishes in company history too. Edge and Chris Jericho campaigned for The Nexus to defeat Cena's crew at SummerSlam 2010 ahead of his unlikely and unrealistic comeback win.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett