Whether or not John Cenas heel turn in late 2002 was successful or not depends on what ones criteria for being a great heel is. From the moment Cena debuted, his character consisted of a guy who said he had Ruthless Agression and wore tights featuring the colors of the sports team of the city he was in. After he turned heel, he debuted the rapping character, which was a huge shot in the arm for his career. The big problem with the heel rapper character was that Cena was getting cheered. His raps were filled with wink-wink insider references, and he would always end the raps by holding the microphone up to the crowd and letting the audience finish the last line, which was usually a dirty word that Cena himself couldnt say on television. The crowds ate it up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQShUjdMahQ In fact, it wouldnt be a stretch to say that Cena has been more hated since turning back babyface in late 2003 -- from throwing bags of nuts at his opponents in 2004 to his hokey gym teacher pep talk promos over the past few years -- than he ever was during his heel stretch. And if the main criteria for being a great heel is that the crowd hates you, then Cenas heel turn in 2002/2003 was a failure.
