John Cena shockingly turned heel for a major reason, says WWE veteran, heading into WrestleMania 41 

John Cena turned heel in WWE for the first time in over two decades, and many wondered why now. Recently, Dutch Mantell reacted to the segment from Toronto and believes there's a major reason for it.

Over the past few years, John Cena hasn't been able to get the job done as he was busy giving back to the industry in every way possible. However, it all changed when he sold his soul to The Final Boss and turned heel at WWE Elimination Chamber 2025.

Speaking on Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the veteran speculated that John Cena's motivation to turn heel was due to this being his final run as a full-time performer. The former manager believes this was The Franchise Player's last shot at winning the title, and the odds would be in his favor with The Rock in his corner:

"I think now he's getting close to the end, and everybody knows that, so he wants to be the champion one more time. He has the motivation... Now, with The Rock in his corner, now you can see that number 17 popping up. Now, you can see how he can set the record and be the habit for the 17th time," Mnatell said. (From 14:37 to 15:42)

Check out the video below:

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WWE reportedly had a different plan for John Cena heading into WrestleMania 41

John Cena's final WWE run added a lot of pressure on The Franchise Player and the management heading into WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. However, the company had ideas on how the final run would be.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), the management had plans for John Cena to face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 for the Undisputed WWE Championship in Las Vegas.

However, the heel turn was originally supposed to be a part of the match's finish. Instead, John Cena sold his soul to The Rock in Toronto at Elimination Chamber 2025.

The Frachise Player has yet to address his actions and has all the momentum in the world heading into his final WrestleMania in Las Vegas.

While using any quotes from this article, please credit the Story Time podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.