11 WWE Heels That Were So Good They Became Babyfaces

3. John Cena

John Cena€™s heel run as the Doctor of Thuganomics was what put the former Prototype on the wrestling map. Turning up at each show and cutting a rap on his opponent or the local town, Cena was one of the brightest rising stars in the WWE back in 2003 when the gimmick really started to take off. Even though it was designed as a heel act and Cena was booed during its early days, so impressive (and damn entertaining) were Cena€™s skills that it didn€™t take long before he began to get cheered. Defeating Big Show for the US Championship at WrestleMania XX and then JBL for the WWE Championship a year later at WrestleMania 21, Cena had arrived as was in the process of embedding himself as the face of the WWE and the biggest star of his generation. Over the years, Cena€™s act has become one of never give up, believe in yourself, and countless other catchphrases (and offensively-bright merchandise) but it€™s with his appeal to kids that Cena€™s babyface act is most prominent. Sure, the smart marks and adults out there may at times boo Cena, but the kids absolutely adore their hero, with his unmatched PR work and record-breaking charity gigs making him the perfect WWE poster boy and the biggest babyface of all-time in the eyes of some younger fans.
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.