John Cena Hints That Turning Heel In WWE 'Wasn't His Choice'

Did John Cena want to turn heel all along but WWE bosses just wouldn't let him?!

by Jamie Kennedy
John Cena
WWE.com

John Cena has always maintained that being a hero to young children and working tirelessly for the Make-A-Wish Foundation stopped him from turning heel in WWE.

Now, during a chat with GQ, Cena has dropped heavy hints that he was up for going rogue at several points during his company career after all. In fact, late in the interview, JC teased that WWE/Vince McMahon stopped him from being "able to mess with the flaws of WWE John Cena" and "nuancing a virtuous character".

That's something Cena was interested in trying. Apparently, McMahon and his writers were not - on booking heel turns, John said, "it's not my choice". He also went on to say, "I don't run the company".

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This is fascinating. Did Vince stand in Cena's way? Was he so much of a merchandise money-spinner and positive PR man for the promotion that McMahon was unwilling to contemplate turning 'Super Cena' into a villain?

What's more, was Cena left slightly frustrated by this? He told GQ that "there is another 10 years of story in there" when it comes to examining the more menacing side of his character's personality.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.