"He is a heel in real life" - WWE legend makes surprising accusation about John Cena (Exclusive)

One of the most shocking events of 2025 is John Cena turning heel during his retirement tour, as no one saw it coming. WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long explained why the character change suits him perfectly.

When the 16-time world champion won the Elimination Chamber match, it seemed like a babyface vs. babyface match was brewing for WrestleMania 41. However, The Cenation Leader turned on The American Nightmare, as well as the fans, when he appeared on RAW this week.

On Sportskeeda WrestleBinge's The Wrestling Time Machine with Mac Davis, Teddy Long shared his thoughts on John Cena's heel turn and promo. He claimed that the latter was a heel in real life, and thought it was fitting.

"Oh, it was no big deal to me. John Cena's now being John Cena. The best heel in the world is the guy that's a heel in real life. And that's, you know, nothing against him. I like him, he's a great guy. But he is a heel in real life, and this fits him perfectly. You watch and see how good his promos are now than they were when he was cutting them babyface promos. You watch this," said Teddy Long. [3:57-4:21]

When Bill Apter asked him to clarify, Teddy Long responded with:

"All I've said is this. That's perfectly him, and that's all I'm going to say." [4:31-4:36]

You can watch the full video here:

There's a possibility that Cena could make history at WrestleMania 41 by dethroning Cody Rhodes and becoming a 17-time world champion.

---

If you use the quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and add an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.