5 Times the WWE should have turned John Cena heel

The holy grail of pro-wrestling – a John Cena heel turnThe mainstay of the PG era, John Cena, may have draped himself in a multitude of colours and even knicked himself a breakfast cereal sponsorship for the same, but that doesn’t mask the innate dash of irony in the unchanging and monochromatic nature of his in-ring persona.Through hell or high water, John Cena has unwaveringly stuck to his “Hustle Loyalty Respect” motto as a babyface, pandering to the gleeful kids in the audience yet a pantomime villain to the hardcore fans who are sick of the same old schtick over and over again.But as we transition away from him as the top babyface of the company and wait on the dawn of the Roman Empire, talk has been rife that perhaps the time for a John Cena heel turn could finally be upon us.On that note – whether that possibility comes to materialise at long last, or predictably ebb away as it always has – here are 5 instances when the WWE could have chosen to have John Cena go over to the dark side, but failed to do so.

#5 The Rock

If there was one babyface more over than John Cena, it was The Rock

Wrestlemania 27 that was headlined by John Cena and the WWE’s very own Hollywood A-Lister, The Miz, provided the perfect platform for the show’s guest host, The Rock, to get himself involved in proceedings.

And soon enough, The Brahma Bull was all set to take on The Leader of the Cenation in a dream “Once in a Lifetime” encounter, not unlike the one that The Rock and Hulk Hogan had put on at Wrestlemania 18.

Only, what was supposed to be a one-off dream match-up, would lose the bulk of its credibility and the hype appended to it by the WWE by virtue of playing out again the next year, if only to satisfy John Cena’s itch to ‘settle the score’ with The Rock.

But in hindsight, the WWE could have made the repeat encounter at Wrestlemania 29 tick had they just taken advantage of the massive mainstream appeal of the Rock and turned John Cena heel in their feud.

For starters, it wouldn’t have cost the WWE any points with the general public because The Rock’s popularity surely superceded that of John Cena and secondly, it would have painted the whole angle and the re-match in a more believable hue.

But as it would turn out, they predictably played it safe and went for the babyface versus babyface formula for Wrestlemania 29 as well, thereby ensuring that the intengrity of the John Cena character was better protected in the long term.

Yet one cannot help but feel, should John Cena ever have been turned heel, it certainly could have been against someone of the mainstream allure, popularity and drawing power of The Rock.

#4 US Title Reign

A heel US championship run would have certainly served his challengers better

If Kalisto’s recent struggles to get over as a credible champion bear any significance, it only serves to emboss in comparison how accomplished and consummate John Cena’s recent US Title run was, in elevating the championship.

It’s easy to wax lyrical about the weekly US Title open challenge sequence, especially when it featured a string of rollicking matches that drew praise from all quarters, but the oft-overlooked question is could it have actually been better?

Surely, when one considers that the majority of Cena’s opponents – Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, Neville, Sami Zayn and Zack Ryder – were all babyfaces, it seems rather obvious that John Cena as a defending heel champion would have better served all of them.

For one, having him defeat all of them cleanly for weeks on end was rather uncalled for, and did even less for the other Superstars involved in the matches than it did for him.

Instead, having John Cena scrape through each challenge using less than ideal means; using the ropes for a pin, holding on to the tights during a roll-up, or getting intentionally disqualified, would have all been better options to make his challengers look even stronger.

Pre-ordained as it was by the WWE that John Cena was going to enjoy an extended run as the US Champion, and after being moved out of the main event picture, in any case, not having him turn heel seems like a missed opportunity in hindsight.

#3 Bray Wyatt

John Cena found himself far removed from his comfort zone against the mind games of Bray Wyatt

Of all the other instances in this list that could have logically embraced a John Cena heel turn, perhaps his program against Bray Wyatt presented the most believable set of circumstances yet.

Pushed to the brink of his restraints by the New Face of Fear, a visibly oppressed and harrowed John Cena throughout much of their 3 match feud led to furious speculation that this could finally be the moment for his crossover into the dark side.

Adding impetus to the rumours was the fact that Bray Wyatt was also being afforded a giant push by the WWE as a monster heel and the next ethereal presence in the company, following in the footsteps of The Undertaker.

Replete with segments that were well thought out and struck a chord – none more so that the haunting children choir set up by Bray Wyatt to unsettle John Cena – the whole storyline espoused an undertone of believability that this would indeed be the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

But as it would turn out – really to no one’s surprise in the end – John Cena would beat back the tendrils of the dark side yet again as he would prevail over Bray Wyatt in a last man standing match at Payback in 2014, thereby extinguishing their feud and any remaining hopes of a heel turn along with it.

#2 CM Punk

CM Punk’s star was clearly on the ascendancy in 2011

Controversial, enigmatic, straight-edge but yet a notorious outlaw as far as the WWE was concerned, CM Punk was a breath of fresh air that made the otherwise drab and dull PG era a little more tolerable for many viewers like myself.

And his match against John Cena for the WWE Title at Money in the Bank 2011, revolving around his contract situation, was preceded by the most engaging and absorbing storyline that the PG era had thrown up until then.

With his Chicago home crowd viciously booing John Cena, CM Punk managed to defeat him in an instant classic to retain his WWE Title, and squirmed out through the audience just in the nick of time to prevent Alberto Del Rio from cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase.

Unlike in other feuds involving John Cena though, this one was wholly constructed around then WWE Champion CM Punk, and whether Vince McMahon could somehow prevent him from running down his contract and leaving with the belt.

And at the Money in the Bank pay per view, the scenario was perfect for Cena to play the part of the corporate pawn in the face of the massively positive audience reaction that CM Punk was receiving.

But as things would turn out, the WWE would predictably drop the ball yet again, as they allowed another high profile scenario slip by where a John Cena heel turn would have been both acceptable and ideal had they pulled the trigger on it.

#1 After Wrestlemania 32

It doesn’t seem too likely that Roman Reigns would turn heel anytime soon...

Technically this doesn’t constitute an instance in the past when the WWE could have turned John Cena heel, but it well may turn out into exactly that when we look back at his return from injury – whenever that comes to pass – perhaps a year down the line from now.

Although as things stand today, the WWE have deposited all their eggs in the Roman Reigns basket, in the hope that pitting him against Triple H at Wrestlemania 32 could manoeuvre a thus far lukewarm audience reaction towards him, into a more positive one.

But the question lingers that should all go to plan in a Roman Reigns triumph against Triple H, who then could the WWE conjure up as a viable opponent for their new top babyface following Wrestlemania 32?

Surely not Seth Rollins, who for all intents and purposes should ideally be making a comeback as a babyface himself. Bray Wyatt could have stepped up had a program between him and Roman not been abused to the point of exhaustion already.

Yes, a potential heel turn for Dean Ambrose has been sufficiently teased as a sign of things to come, but it still doesn’t change the fact that he is arguably the most over babyface in the company as of now.

So that only really leaves us with John Cena.

One victory away from equalling Ric Flair’s all-time official record for the most number of World Title reigns, it would seem that John Cena and Roman Reigns are destined to be on a collision course in the near future anyhow.

If Roman Reigns captures the WWE World Heavyweight Title from Triple H at Wrestlemania 32, could John Cena be in line for a title shot when he returns?

With the WWE having been obdurate so far in refusing a heel turn for Roman Reigns, logic would dictate that John Cena may have to bear the mantle of being the heel in order to accommodate him.

But if history – especially the WWE kind – has taught us anything so far, expecting it to happen would be little more than a pointless exercise.