SummerSlam is just a few weeks away, with the first ever two-night show certain to be headlined on Sunday night by John Cena defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes in a rematch from WrestleMania 41. It’s no secret that their first match was a stinker, with Cena being slow in the ring, the American Nightmare booked to look stupid, and The Rock not showing up. Cena’s heel run has been a disappointment, so it’s time for WWE to turn him babyface again as soon as possible. There’s one way better than any other to get there. At SummerSlam, Cena vs. Rhodes needs to be an “I Quit” match. It’s only when the man who never gives up says that he quits that his character can be redeemed.
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John Cena’s Heel Turn Hasn’t Worked
WWE Fans Badly Want To Cheer Cena During His Retirement Run
- It was a huge moment when John Cena turned heel on Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber.
- Cena’s reasoning for turning bad, because he hated the fans, hasn’t worked.
- Fans want to root for John Cena in his last months as a wrestler.
John Cena spent a decade plus as the face of WWE, but as popular as he was, half of the fan base couldn’t stand his dull, never-changing babyface gimmick. In 2025, wishes came true when Cena shockingly turned heel on Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber. The moment was crafted perfectly, and is right there with Hulk Hogan in WCW as the best heel turn ever. Sadly, that has been the highlight of Cena as a bad guy.
Outside of Cena’s pipebomb SmackDown promo on CM Punk several weeks ago, his heel turn has been a bust. The best reasoning for Cena turning heel that WWE could come up with was the old trope of him hating the fans. Yawn. On top of that, his matches have been the same overbooked nonsense that ends with a predictable ref bump and outside interference. John Cena’s heel turn isn’t working, and fans are starting to ignore it. We love the guy and want to enjoy every moment before he says goodbye, so the WWE Universe has been cheering for Cena, no matter what he says or does. It’s time for WWE to give us what we want and turn him good again.
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John Cena Vs. Cody Rhodes Needs To Be An “I Quit” Match
Their SummerSlam Rematch Feels Underwhelming So Far
- It was obvious that Cody Rhodes would become King of the Ring.
- Their SummerSlam match needs to be better than their awful WrestleMania 41 main event.
- John Cena’s motto has always been “Never Give Up.”
When Cody Rhodes took on Randy Orton at Night of Champions for the King of the Ring finals, it was very obvious that Rhodes would win and face John Cena again at SummerSlam. Their first feud going into WrestleMania 41 was very flat, with just a few promos here and there, and with SummerSlam’s short build, there is so far nothing to get too excited about. Since this is the second biggest WWE show of the year, it certainly has to be the match where Rhodes beats Cena and gets his title back, right? With the outcome so obvious, there’s one big way to get fans invested.
If every Cena match is going to be a mess of ref bumps and interference, why not have a match where anything goes? The main event of SummerSlam needs to be an “I Quit” match. This shouldn’t be the stipulation just to make the shenanigans easier to take, but because it’s the best way to turn John Cena into a babyface again. For two decades, John Cena’s motto has been “Never Give Up.” Imagine the moment when he gets on the mic and quits for the first time.
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The Heel John Cena Needs To Say That He Gives Up
He Can Spend The Last Months Of His Retirement Run As A Babyface Again
- Cena simply losing the title in a regular match will only make him more angry.
- John Cena has never said “I Quit” in a match before.
- Quitting will make John Cena look at himself in the mirror and change who he is.
John Cena can’t be vanquished simply by beating him. Sure, if Cody Rhodes takes his WWE Championship away from him, Cena is damaged, but a loss might only make him more angry, causing the heel character to dig in and blame the fans for everything even more. No, for Cena as a heel to be destroyed, it has to be self-inflicted.
John Cena has always been about hustle, loyalty, and respect. Those are now out the window, unless it pertains to himself. One infuriating thing that a bad John Cena has refused to do though is change for everyone. If you want to see a new entrance song and different gear, too bad, he’s not going to cater to you. To Cena, he’s still being true to who he is. It’s everyone else that is the problem. So he still brings those silly towels to the ring and wears his bright shirts that often say “Never Give Up.” But what if he actually did? There’s no coming back from that.
As a babyface, Cena wasn’t exactly invincible, but he never gave up and never quit. That was a huge part of his gimmick and still is. But if a ref shoves a mic in his face at SummerSlam and a broken John says “I quit”, it will be huge, with more meaning than just the pain of a match. It could mean that he gives up on how he’s acted the past six months. At a crossroads, John Cena would be forced to look at himself in the mirror and wonder what he’s become. He’s never been a quitter before. Having realized how much he’s lost, the old John Cena that we once hated, but now love, will return. That SummerSlam stipulation is how he gets there.
