What we learned about John Cena's heel turn & The Rock's role at Elimination Chamber on WWE Unreal

John Cena shocked the world when he turned heel at Elimination Chamber earlier this year, with The Rock being the storyline catalyst for the turn. After all the rumors and speculation leading up to the moment and the aftermath, we learned quite a bit about what went on behind the scenes involving Cody Rhodes, John Cena, The Rock, and Travis Scott on WWE: Unreal, and how one of the most incredible moments in the company's history really came about.

With Cena having suddenly and stunningly turned babyface two nights ago on SmackDown and rumors of either that being a ruse or Cody Rhodes possibly turning heel tonight, and some kind of groundbreaking moment following the CM Punk title win and Seth Rollins' cash-in last night, anticipation and interest are peaking hours before SummerSlam Night Two.

Ahead of the Undisputed WWE Championship rematch between Cody Rhodes and John Cena in tonight's main event at SummerSlam, in this article, we shall reveal seven things we learned about Cena's historic heel turn at Elimination Chamber on WWE: Unreal.

#7. John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 was always the plan, regardless of either or neither of them turning heel

Among the initial matches internally listed for WrestleMania 41 at the time most of the footage in the first episode of the documentary was filmed, John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul were the only bouts that ended up happening.

While the road to Cena vs. Rhodes was full of ebbs and flows that formed as the story progressed, the match itself had been slated long before the 17-time World Champion's heel turn was decided, and it was one of just two bouts WWE stuck with.

#6. WWE's creative voices eventually decided that they needed to spice up the WrestleMania program

Michael Hayes also shared that while WWE was okay with the babyface vs. babyface dynamic initially, somewhere along the way, they realised that the feud needed to be spiced up.

Brian Gewirtz came up with some ideas as he assessed that a babyface vs. babyface feud involving John Cena and Cody Rhodes would be missing something, and discussions were underway with a variety of "What If" scenarios in mind.

#5. The Rock's appearance on the New Orleans SmackDown and its aftermath started being discussed that very week

Remember that weirdly uncomfortable promo segment between The Rock and Cody Rhodes on the February 21, 2025, episode of SmackDown in New Orleans that some thought was incoherent babbling and others thought was pure genius? Well, turns out that it was a bit of both.

Yes, it was by then that it was decided it was supposed to lead to the big heel turn at Elimination Chamber. However, the creative plans for Cody & Cena had already started to take shape on the preceding Tuesday, or February 18.

The People's Champion cut a promo that built an insane amount of hype for Elimination Chamber. However, when fans were confused as to what it was leading to, well, besides just having finalized that Cena would be turning heel, so were Triple H, the rest of his creative team, The Rock, John Cena himself, and Cody Rhodes.

#4. John Cena's heel turn was first pitched by Bruce Prichard

One Tuesday night, February 18 to be specific, Triple H, Bruce Prichard, and Ed Koskey got on a Zoom call that lasted around 45 minutes, where Prichard pitched Cena's heel turn. The purpose of the call, as Bruce said, was simple: "We've gotta do this; we've gotta figure this out."

Yes, not everything was revealed as to what was discussed during this call, but it was implied that Cody turning heel was on the table, and that Prichard was the one who proposed John Cena for that spot. Some more ideas were discussed, and eventually, Triple H, convinced that what had been talked about could really be something, took the next step in making fantasy a reality.

#3. Triple H discussed the heel turn with just five people

Immediately after the meeting with Prichard and Koskey, Triple H called Nick Khan, who was on board. He then pitched it to The Rock to get feedback. Rock loved the idea, and the two explored how it could come to life. This was followed by a call to Travis Scott to make sure he'd be comfortable with the creative, because WWE wanted to build the idea around him.

Cody Rhodes was next, and once he was fully on board, albeit surprised, John Cena was approached with the idea of him turning heel. Triple H made it clear that this was completely Cena's choice, and he didn't have to do business or feel compelled to sign on.

The Franchise Player loved the idea and had a similar reaction to the one Rhodes had, and he started texting ideas to The Game immediately. Thereafter, Cena, Rock, and Cody got in touch with one another to further the dialogue and bounce ideas off.

#2. WWE has been adjusting and pivoting its course vis-à-vis John Cena's heel run from the beginning

The points discussed above have all been mere descriptions of what was explicitly stated on WWE: Unreal. Now, it is time to read between the lines. Coupled with the several interviews John Cena has given in the past few months, as well as all the speculation from insiders and fans, and the general direction of the product, Cena's heel turn was clearly not planned out well in advance.

That does not mean that creative effort hasn't been put into it, but rather the fact that WWE has been open to charting different courses, considering how his matches and stories are received and how fans react to Cody, Cena, and those around them. Not just by those in the arena, but also on the internet.

Cena's sudden face turn adds further credibility to this notion; it came out of nowhere, and regardless of whether it will stick or end up being a ruse, and regardless of Rhodes possibly turning heel tonight, unlike what WWE would have fans believe, creative plans always evolve and even drastically change, and WWE: Unreal proved that.

#1. The Rock's appearance at Elimination Chamber indeed did not have a clear long-term creative goal

The Rock appearing at Elimination Chamber, as has been discussed previously, was indeed just a way to add intrigue to the Cody Rhodes-John Cena story and move tickets for the premium live event, a stadium show that was having issues filling the seats despite a hot product on the road to WrestleMania.

This implied that WWE hoped that The Rock's appearances leading up to and at Elimination Chamber would recreate the magic it did on the road to WrestleMania 40, but that obviously didn't happen this year because he did not appear on TV at all thereafter.

The plan was quite short-sighted: to establish The Rock as the catalyst to Cena's heel turn. This also meant that it was at no point clear whether he would be available for the rest of the road or at WrestleMania, setting unrealistic expectations that ended with a dud payoff.

Hopefully, a dud payoff won't be the case when John Cena and Cody Rhodes clash tonight at SummerSlam, with expectations and hype once again at the highest of highs.