John Cena Knows His Heel Turn Failed, Says ‘Hindsight Is a Waste of Time’

Speaking during a recent panel at Fan Expo Chicago, WWE Superstar John Cena discussed his run as a heel earlier this year, admitting that he know he “failed.” Cena noted that he thinks hindsight on his heel turn’s failure is a “waste of time” and encouraged his fans to live in the “here and now” for the excitement of his final run. Below are some highlights (via WrestlingInc.com):

John Cena on not being upset over his failed heel turn: “No. I wasn’t upset. I just know I failed. Ain’t nothing wrong with that. You can learn from failure, right? I went out there and bombed. S*** happens, guys. Come on now.”

On why hindsight over his failed heel turn is a waste of time: “Man, what I’m hearing is: ‘In a hypothetical universe, what different choices would you make?’ I will answer that with: hindsight is a waste of time. … We got 11 dates left. I think I’ll be able to talk about all this bupkis in January after the whole thing is over. But we’ve taken the audience on a on a hell of a ride this year. We still got a ways left to go, so I’m excited about that.”

Cena turned babyface again shortly before his title rematch against Cody Rhodes at WWE SummerSlam 2025 in August. His Farewell Tour continues this weekend at WWE Crown Jewel Perth, where he faces his old rival, AJ Styles, in a singles bout. The premium live event will be held on Saturday, October 11 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. It airs live on the ESPN App in the U.S. and on Netflix internationally.

After that, Cena still has a handful of remaining WWE dates. His final match takes place at the Capital One Arena at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13. It will air live on Peacock.