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One of the biggest missed opportunities in WWE history came when John Cena remained a babyface during the early 2010s. Vince McMahon nearly approved a heel turn for the Cenation Leader in 2012 but decided not to go ahead with the move.
The WWE Chairman ended up getting cold feet due to the lack of a suitable replacement. A heel turn for Cena would have made a lot of sense in 2012, which was dubbed by him as the "worst year of his career."
The 16-time world champion lost his big match with The Rock at WrestleMania 28, before getting beaten up by Brock Lesnar, embarrassed by John Laurinaitis and failing with his Money in the Bank cash-in. CM Punk ended up turning heel immediately after the cash-in attempt but what if John Cena was the one to do so at RAW 1000?
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This would have been a major move, with an effect similar to Hulk Hogan's heel turn in WCW in 1996. It would have revitalized Cena's character, which got slightly stale during the PG Era.
Let's go back nine years to 2012 and imagine a world in which John Cena turned heel. Here are five things that would have happened had WWE pulled the trigger on it.
#5 John Cena forms his own nWo
Alluded to in the Firefly Fun House Match at WrestleMania 36, an nWo stable built around John Cena would have been interesting. A heel turn of such magnitude would have brought several changes to his character. Aside from his attitude, Cena's wrestling style would change.
Much like Hulk Hogan had Scott Hall and Kevin Nash alongside him, John Cena would have had a similar level of stars to complement his new persona. The Big Show and Randy Orton come to mind, who were established Superstars in 2012.
While the primary motive of Cena's nWo would be to tyrannically help him remain on top, some new stars could have been created along the way. This may have been a creative way to debut the members of The Shield as a unit or separately. Other heels from 2013 like Cody Rhodes and Curtis Axel would have been good fits for Cena's nWo also.
A hypothetical John Cena-led nWo would have become the most dominant stable in WWE history, with members spanning across all divisions and positions on the card.
It could have also nullified The Authority or simply incorporated it into their act. WWE would have been so much better in the mid-2010s.
#4 CM Punk doesn't turn heel and his WWE Title reign ends in less than a year at the hands of John Cena
One thing that would have been certain if John Cena turned heel in 2012, was the instant reversal of his fortunes. His "rotten" year would have been quelled by a WWE Championship victory within a couple of months. Due to this, CM Punk's title reign would not have lasted 434 days.
Nevertheless, Punk would still have been the top babyface in WWE. He turned heel because The Rock needed to defeat a villain to win the WWE title at Royal Rumble 2013.
Hence, Punk would have remained as a face and Paul Heyman wouldn't have aligned himself with the Straight Edge Superstar. In fact, Heyman may have been a part of John Cena's stable and managed the younger talents in it. Meanwhile, Cena's subsequent run on top would be largely uninterrupted for a few years, barring a couple of feel-good title changes.
With every fresh title win, he'd inch closer to the record of 16 world title reigns.
This would have been similar to Triple H's reign of terror on RAW from 2002 to 2005, only with more shenanigans. Anyway, CM Punk as the face and John Cena as the heel would have made their feud even better.
#3 John Cena's rematch with The Rock is fondly remembered
John Cena played the pseudo heel during his feud with The Rock in 2012. He probably would have even turned completely before WrestleMania 28. Nevertheless, Cena remained a babyface for the "Once in a Lifetime" match.
But had John Cena gone full heel in 2012, a rematch between him and The Rock would have been much more exciting. Cena's first WWE Championship reign as a heel would have ended early so that WWE could transition the belt onto the People's Champion at Royal Rumble 2013.
John Cena could still have won the Royal Rumble Match, but his attitude would be different, and that would add fire to the buildup for the match. Several members of Cena's faction could have attacked The Rock on the Road to WrestleMania. The promo battles between the two legends would have been more heated and memorable.
After defeating The Rock and getting his revenge, John Cena could become even more dominant. This would have forced WWE to build several compelling faces beyond the likes of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.
#2 John Cena ends The Undertaker's WrestleMania Streak
Winning the WWE Championship from CM Punk and The Rock would deliver a lot of heat for John Cena. But he could've taken it to another level in 2014. Ending The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak would have cemented Cena as the biggest heel possibly in WWE history.
The Undertaker's steak ended at WrestleMania 30 against Brock Lesnar, who instantly became the biggest star in WWE. In this scenario, Lesnar could be loosely associated with John Cena's faction through Paul Heyman.
Anyway, defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania with some major help from his faction would mean Cena would do the unthinkable.
Since it would not be a clean finish, John Cena would get more heat. This would have been the peak of his run as a heel.
#1 John Cena's eventual face turn is one of the greatest moments in WWE history
After years of tyranny with his faction and unimaginable heat, John Cena would revert to a babyface. Every great heel in WWE has changed.
John Cena was the face of WWE for over a decade. Even if he had turned heel in 2012, he still had over five years as the company's top good guy. Much like Hulk Hogan's face turn in 2002, Cena would have received a raucous ovation from the fans while making the switch.
Cena would remain one of the most over Superstars in WWE history and the fans would've gotten over the end of the Streak by late 2015. They would clamor for John Cena to turn face after being a villain for three years. There are a few ways WWE could turn Cena back into a babyface.
The 16-time world champion could be kicked out of his own faction like Hogan was at WrestleMania 18, either through a long-term "power struggle" story or after a major defeat at 'Mania or SummerSlam. Anyway, one heartfelt promo would be enough to turn the WWE Universe to his side.
Hardcore fans would have enjoyed seeing John Cena as the top heel in WWE, while the casual ones would be dying to root for their hero once again. This run would have freshened up Cena as a face, making him an even bigger star as a result. Creatively, WWE would have been a better place as well.
If you want to take a look at another "What if" scenario from WWE's past, sound off in the comments below!
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