Triple-H talks about convincing John Cena to turn ‘heel’: ‘What if we pull the lever, that no one else could?’

The biggest story of WrestleMania 41 is going to be John Cena vs Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. The veteran who held the company on his shoulders for more than a decade, going against not just the new champion but his replacement. Many have discussed the ‘why’ behind Cena betraying Rhodes; why would a superstar who has stayed true to his values all his career throw it all away in his last ride? WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul Michael Levesque, better known as Triple H, shed some light on the decision in an interview and how the discussion progressed behind the scenes.

Triple H discussed the situation when Cena returned to the WWE in an episode of the High Performance podcast. As John entered his last year, it was mentioned that he wanted to retire and that, although he would continue to work for the organization, his time as a performer in the ring would come to an end. We had a conversation, and John is the epitome of professionalism in this area. Even if he has his own opinions, he informed me he was willing to do whatever was asked of him.

John informed me that he is prepared for anything if we want him to lose every match, win every match, or win the championship once more over the next ten to twelve months. Because you are protective of what you have built, it is a unique quality to find in a wrestler, especially at that level,” Triple H continued. It should come as no surprise that John has shown himself to be a very adaptable wrestler in the latter stages of his career. By taking part in stories that did not conclude with him at the top, he has helped to promote a lot of new talent.

I approached John and asked him if we should pull the lever that no one else could, even though we could have played it safe. What if we made him turn around? He was shocked and referred to it as a daring move when we told him the reasoning behind his transformation into the villain, but he was game.

John Cena takes a turn. What happened?

In other words, nobody really believed that Cena would turn heel, hence nobody had any notion that he would. To be honest, Cena was enjoying his last stint as a babyface before choosing to leave the industry. After Jey Uso persevered and was given the chance to face any champion he wanted at WrestleMania, he was the final man to be eliminated from the Royal Rumble. Rhodes even came out to congratulate Cena on his victory when he secured a similar opportunity by winning the Elimination Chamber.

The 16-time world champion shocked everyone by kicking Rhodes and standing next to The Rock, just when everyone assumed that Cena vs. Rhodes would be a bout between two performers who love and respect one another, with the former winning and finishing his tale. This gave the story a depth that no one felt was necessary, but in the end, it rescued the match and created measurable conflict.