John Cena Joins The Rock Final Boss: Here's The Complete Breakdown of The Champ's Heel turning Story

John Cena's heel turn has sent major shockwaves across the landscape and changed the trajectory of the road to WrestleMania 41.
The wrestling world was sent into shock at the WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 when John Cena turned to the dark side and turned heel for the first time in two decades. The Cenation Leader joined hands with The Final Boss, The Rock, and laid out his WrestleMania 41 opponent, Cody Rhodes. With Cena leaving all his principles behind for his last shot at immortality, here is a complete breakdown of his shocking heel turn.

At the end of the WWE Bad Blood PLE, The Rock made an unannounced appearance at the entrance stage. He did not say a word but only made a gesture. At the time, many thought it meant nothing. However, The Rock made it clear on the Elimination Chamber post-show that it was a long game. His gesture of the three fingers was a reference to John Cena's signature pose, which he has done and reasoned with the audience for years.

John Cena began his farewell tour on the debut edition of Monday Night RAW on Netflix. He acknowledged the fans' desire to see him win the 17th World title. Initially turning down the idea, Cena reconsidered and declared himself for the Royal Rumble. Witnessing the events of the Elimination Chamber, it seems John Cena was playing a ruse and always had the greed to win the World title for the last time to break Ric Flair's record.

The John Cena fans know and have loved for years would always earn his opportunities in WWE. However, the case was completely different for the Elimination Chamber. While the other five competitors had to earn their way to the chamber by winning qualifying matches, the Cenation Leader entered himself into the match, claiming that he deserved the opportunity due to his long and loyal service to WWE. While Cena then claimed that it was best for business, it truly meant that it was best for him.

John Cena outlasted five top WWE superstars to win the 2025 Men's Elimination Chamber match and become the No.1 Contender to Cody Rhodes' Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41. With Rhodes reigning as the top babyface for a year and staying with the company for many more to come, a John Cena heel turn was a better booking decision for the WrestleMania match. This has helped WWE protect their top babyface of today while giving fans what they wanted to see for years in Cena's heel turn and making the match feud more intriguing with the change of events.
Also read: John Cena turns heel: Reasons revealed behind the biggest shock of the century in WWE