The aftermath of the turn is as important as the actual turn. The next night on Raw we need to see Cena come out and justify his actions. State that he didn't turn on Bryan, he didn't turn on the fans - they all turned on him. Bryan then comes out and attempts to have Cena explain his attack from behind, only for Cena to low blow Bryan and savagely beat him down. That confirms it: John Cena is WWE's new number one heel. The benefit is that it reinvigorates Cena for a whole new year. What more can he conceivably do as a face? In contrast, as a heel, he could easily run for at least two years on top. The other benefit of turning Cena is that it extends Daniel Bryan's babyface run, allowing him to revert back to the number one contender underdog role where he is at his very finest. You then have a year worth of face Bryan vs heel Cena matches you could book, which would be the very top feud WWE have done in years, two genuinely big stars who are the number one face and number one heel in the company. The downside is of course the merchandise factor and Cena's key market of the younger fans. This shouldn't be viewed as a problem for WWE but as an opportunity. Sometimes you need to create a gap to allow a new force to rise. Those in the know may continue to dismiss the Cena heel turn ever happening... just like they dismissed The Undertaker's streak ever ending. If WWE want to make a mega-feud for the next two years, they need look no further than the booking steps we discussed right here.
