John Cena’s Latest WWE Match Proves That His Heel Turn Has Been A Creative Failure

John Cena competed at WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event show on May 24, competing in non-title action against R-Truth, which came as a surprise as many assumed this would be an Undisputed WWE Title match. This completes yet another victory in what is the fifth match amidst his ongoing 2025 retirement tour where he will finally hang up the boots as the year draws to a close. Cena turned heel during this retirement tour, but things haven’t been all that fans hoped for when he turned to the dark side. During his match with R-Truth at Saturday Night’s Main Event, many of the ongoing issues surrounding Cena’s heel run from a creative standpoint were once again highlighted, and we will take a further look at these problems here.

John Cena’s Heel Run Has Been Hit And Miss

Cena’s Heel Turn Peaked At Elimination Chamber

• Cena shocked the world and turned heel against Cody Rhodes.
• His first month of Raw promos had him turning on the fans.
• Cena’s matches have been overbooked and lacking in quality.

At Elimination Chamber 2025, John Cena turned heel in a huge moment – one which felt like a defining moment in WWE’s history. Some of his promos felt a little repetitive, but for the most part his feud with Cody Rhodes was a good way to kick off his heel turn… until WrestleMania 41. Cena vs. Rhodes was slow, plodding, and had one of the worst finishes in WrestleMania history thanks to the interference of rapper Travis Scott. Cena’s feud with Randy Orton had some ups and downs, leading to a fun but overbooked match that had yet another horrendous finish as R-Truth interfered to help his childhood hero retain, only to then get betrayed by Cena.

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Cena’s lack of a proper full-time schedule, others needing to pick up the pieces to build matches, and his inconsistent character have all been problematic. The initial turn was him selling out to The Rock, then it became more about finally becoming sick and tired of the fans, and then it transitioned into being more about being obsessed with winning the WWE Title and ‘ruining wrestling’. There has certainly been a distinct lack of any sort of real direction in his heel run, and this has caused problems when it comes to fan reactions. This was evidenced by his latest WWE Championship defense against R-Truth at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

John Cena Vs. R-Truth Exposed More Issues

This Was One Of Cena’s Worst Matches Since Beginning His Retirement Tour

• Fans gave John Cena a massive pop when his music hit.
• The crowd was mixed on Cena and didn’t boo him too much.
• The audience wants to cheer a heel John Cena.

R-Truth has been a fan favorite and perpetually over for years at this point, no matter his position on the card. Fans buy into R-Truth getting any sort of push due to his comedic character and easy connection to the fans, and in the lead up to his title match with Cena at the May 24 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, the audience was rallying behind him. However, when Cena’s music hit at Saturday Night’s Main Event, the audience came unglued in a massive pop, cheering Cena to the ring despite his heel persona and lack of acknowledgment towards the support of the fans. This showcases the creative failure of Cena’s heel turn – WWE can’t get the audience to boo him easily.

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This occurred during the feud with Rhodes too, as steadily the audience started to cheer Cena more and turn on Rhodes, making for a mightily awkward WrestleMania main event. Against R-Truth, despite the challenger being a big fan favorite, the audience were more on the side of Cena, and seemingly didn’t care for booing him, showing angst at his cheating, or even getting annoyed later on in the night when Cena interfered in the main event, attacking Jey Uso. As time goes on, the heel turn is feeling messier and messier.

WWE Might’ve Been Better Off With The Original John Cena Plan

Cena Having A Babyface Retirement Tour May Have Been The Correct Choice

• John Cena’s heel turn was not the original long-term plan.
• A babyface Cena could have faced Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship.
• Cena as a good guy could have still faced Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.

John Cena’s heel turn wasn’t something planned in the long-term, with it coming together shortly before it happened. When looking at how things have gone, an alternative route might’ve been far better. One last underdog storyline against Gunther to not only win the World Heavyweight Championship but to add prestige to WWE’s newest world title would’ve been special. Cena could’ve still had big marquee matches with Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes, in addition to battling it out with many upcoming stars and seasoned veterans, all with the audience cheering him on (when they’re supposed to!).

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The only real positives of the heel turn is that it allows Cena to do something different before packing it up, and due to the fact that a slower style can hide Cena’s dwindling abilities in the ring. A heel run can still work, but WWE needs to do a lot more to try and make the audience boo Cena. It can’t just be more “you people” promos. The whole thing feels awkward, and it is doing more harm to WWE’s main event scene than helping it.