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The WWE Universe has been clamoring for John Cena to turn heel over the past decade or so, but Vince McMahon never pulled the trigger. WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has revealed the reason for this, following Cena's villainous turn at Elimination Chamber: Toronto.
For the first time in more than 20 years, Cena is a heel after aligning with The Rock and attacking Cody Rhodes. With McMahon out of WWE and The Cenation Leader in his last year, the company finally decided to turn him evil in one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history.
Speaking on the Grilling JR podcast, co-host Conrad Thompson asked Jim Ross why Vince McMahon was against turning John Cena heel. Ross explained that while McMahon thought about it several times, the decision was never made due to the luxurious merchandise sales Cena was doing for WWE.
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"A lot of people wanted it to happen, but Vince was always very, very reticent and pulling string on that deal. One of the reasons is merchandise numbers were astonishing," Ross said. [From 3:10 - 3:34]
Cody Rhodes' uncle is a WWE Hall of Famer. More details HERE.
The closest thing to a John Cena heel turn under Vince McMahon was during his Firefly Fun House Match against Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36. Since it was a cinematic match, Cena being a villain was explored as he wore an nWo shirt.
John Cena was ready to turn heel in 2012
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet on Insight last year, John Cena confirmed that there were serious plans to turn him heel for his feud with The Rock at WrestleMania 28. Cena explained that he was ready with new gear and a theme before Vince McMahon scrapped the idea.
"I heard rumblings of we’re going to do it, and in 48 hours, I had a new track, a new studio mix theme song, final mix. I had seven new singlets, low-cut singlets with boxing-type robes. I already had the boots in storage, so I dusted them off. I was ready to go and already thinking about like what I could do with the story," Cena said. [H/T: Inside The Ropes]
Fast forward to more than 10 years later, Cena and The Rock are heels. They might be on their last legs, but it's still great to see them make changes to their characters.
