At WWE Elimination Chamber, John Cena shockingly turned heel. The Cenation Leader joined hands with The Rock and Travis Scott to brutally assault Cody Rhodes.The decision to become a bad guy led to great success for Cena, as he went on to defeat The American Nightmare at WrestleMania 41 to become a 17-time World Champion. What was supposed to be a historic heel run soon turned into a huge disappointment.The Franchise Player's villainous persona failed to captivate the audience as fans had expected. Inconsistent storytelling and questionable booking decisions led to a significant decline in fan interest.The absence of The Rock and Travis Scott further made matters worse. In the latest episode of WWE SmackDown, John Cena apologized for giving up on his values, claiming that he is finally back to his roots as a babyface.It was quite surprising that an elite performer like John Cena could not deliver as a heel. While he is a compelling babyface, the last five months have raised doubts about The Cenation Leader's ability to portray a villain.Interestingly, a number of AEW stars have delivered exceptional performances as antagonists over the years, something Cena could not do. In this article, let's look at four AEW stars who are better heels than John Cena.#4. Christian Cage is a despicable heelChristian Cage has had an interesting run in AEW. During his first year with the company, Captain Charisma played the role of a babyface. While he did great as a protagonist, the turning point for Cage ended up being his heel turn in 2022.The former TNT Champion betrayed Jack Perry to turn into a soulless villain, who was willing to cross all limits to punish his opponents. The Patriarch adopted a darker persona as he began making fun of the deceased family members of his opponents.The veteran was willing to be as profane and disrespectful as he could be on the mic. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion also backed up his words with impressive performances inside the squared circle.Christian Cage's ability to psychologically break apart his opponents makes him a better villain than John Cena. While The Cenation Leader relied on monotonous promos and bland presentation, Cage always had something intriguing up his sleeve.Christian Cage elevated young stars like Jack Perry, Darby Allin, Nick Wayne, and many others, which was not the case with Cena's heel run.#3. MJF is miles ahead of John Cena as a heelJohn Cena might have decades of experience in the wrestling business. However, he falls short in comparison to MJF when it comes to being a compelling heel.The Salt of the Earth is arguably the most despicable heel to ever step foot in All Elite Wrestling. Interestingly, The Devil also betrayed Cody Rhodes to cement himself as a villain in the Jacksonville-based promotion.The Long Island native's approach is very similar to Christian Cage when it comes to generating heat from the fans. However, The Devil has done much more heinous acts in his six-year-long stint with the Tony Khan-led company.Similar to John Cena, MJF has also gone on record to say that his relationship with the audience is toxic, as the crowd always overlooks him. However, MJF always comes up with much more engaging content for his promos, something that Cena failed to achieve.The Salt of the Earth is cocky, arrogant, and condescending, while Cena's character has solely been based on his disdain for the WWE Universe. The Devil has more layers to his persona, making him a far more entertaining antagonist than the 17-time World Champion.#2. Jon Moxley's recent heel run was much betterJon Moxley and John Cena took two very different approaches for their recent heel runs. While Cena decided to be a coward yet opportunistic heel, Jon Moxley chose to become a cold-blooded assassin.Throughout his heel run, Cena kept getting dismantled by his opponents during the buildup to his title defenses. However, The Cenation Leader always managed to retain his title by using underhanded tactics.While it was an entertaining idea at first, the repetitive storytelling got stale very quickly. Jon Moxley, meanwhile, decided to embrace his violent tendencies.The Purveyor of Violence ran through the AEW roster, brutalizing every babyface that stood in his way. The One True King recruited The Death Riders to unleash horrific beatdowns on the likes of Bryan Danielson, Will Ospreay, and Darby Allin.While he also relied on cheating and outside interferences, The Ace of AEW never looked like a silly or cowardly character. Jon Moxley always appeared as a dangerous force, which ultimately made his defeat at All In a massive moment.The Cincinnati native was also a beloved babyface like John Cena at one point. However, Moxley succeeded in effectively switching to a heel persona, which cannot be said about The Franchise Player.#1. Hangman Adam Page did much better as a villain than The Cenation LeaderSimilar to John Cena, Hangman Page is also a top babyface who attracts the attention of the fans. The Anxious Millennial Cowboy also has similar morals to The Cenation Leader, as he is the embodiment of the "Never Give Up" spirit.The Franchise Player chose to go down the dark path, even though he already had carved out a legendary career. Meanwhile, The Hanger was pushed into insanity by Swerve Strickland.Hangman Page went for an entirely different look and presentation to solidify his heel turn. Meanwhile, Cena chose to stick with his original gear and mannerisms.The Anxious Millennial Cowboy became much more violent and aggressive in his pursuit of getting revenge. When he eventually managed to take down The Realest One, he felt regretful about his actions. However, the incident fueled his rage even more, as he directed his attention towards destroying veterans like Jeff Jarrett and Christopher Daniels.The Cowboy finally came to his senses when his anger led to the retirement of The Fallen Angel. The entire heel run was booked perfectly, which made his eventual redemption as a babyface even more memorable.The Anxious Millennial Cowboy might be a much more versatile performer than The Cenation Leader, as he is as entertaining as a heel as he is as a babyface.