John Cena Discusses Preparing for WWE Heel Turn, Reveals Preparations for Originally Planned Heel Turn in 2012

Former WWE Champion John Cena recently commented on his preparations for his heel turn last year and how he prepared for his originally planned turn over a decade ago.

At Elimination Chamber 2025, Cena shockingly turned heel, attacking then-Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and joining forces with The Rock. He went on to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41 Night Two and would continue working as a bad guy until the final episode of SmackDown before SummerSlam 2025.

During a recent Q&A session with fans at the Tampa Comic Convention, John Cena was asked about his preparedness for his heel turn. Cena said that while he doesn’t consider himself the most talented, he prides himself on preparing for every endeavor to the best of his ability.

He then explained how he got 10 new outfits, a wrestling robe, and new boots designed for his initially planned heel turn in 2012. Cena said he even recorded a new theme song and filed to trademark ‘Fear My Name.’ However, plans to turn him heel were ultimately scrapped. Here’s what he said:

On whether he prepared for his heel turn in 2025

“I will never classify myself as the most talented in anything. You guys have seen my work. Michael Cole has politely called me unorthodox as far as my running style and my wrestling ability. I think there’s people who can talk circles around me. One thing I do put myself at the top of the ladder on is preparedness. So when you asked me if a lot of preparation went into the heel persona, it did. The idea for the heel turn kind of came out of nowhere. They wanted to do something special for Toronto. They knew they could get some stars in there. They called me up and asked me if I wanted to go in this direction a few days before the show, and I said, ‘Yes!’ That started the prep for all of that. I had to, in my mind, research: ‘Why am I doing this? What’s my motivation? What am I going to talk to the audience about? What am I going to talk to my opponents about?’ The amount of preparation is unexplainable.”

On his preparations for the originally planned heel turn in 2012

“I will do my best to explain it with an anecdote. Love me a good anecdote. When I wrestled Dwayne Johnson once in a lifetime down in Miami, Vince McMahon was like, ‘Hey, we might turn you heel. We might.’ He left it at that. Nothing. I went away from that meeting. I recorded new theme music. I got 10 new outfits made. I got wrestling robes made. I got wrestling boots made. I had the WWE file for the trademark ‘Fear My Name’ that never got used. None of this stuff got used. I practiced walking, like how I would move through space in the new singlet and robe. I practiced my mannerisms, how I would carry myself. It never came to fruition. He came back four weeks later and said, ‘We’re not doing it. We’re scrapping it.’ That’s how prepared I try to be. Somebody gave the inkling that this might happen. All I want to do is put my best foot forward for y’all. So that’s an example of how prepared I was for the heel stuff.”

Meanwhile, in a recent interview, Cena admitted his heel turn was a failure from a creative standpoint. Check his comments HERE.

Please credit FanX Comic Conventions’ YouTube and give an H/T to 411Mania for the transcription if you take quotes from this article.