At the Elimination Chamber, John Cena performed one of professional wrestling’s most shocking heel turns. On Monday, Cena finally addressed why he ignored WWE fans and undisputed champion Cody Rhodes.
Cena kicked off WWE Raw in front of a boisterous crowd in Brussels. Cena came out to a roar of boos and cries of “John Cena sucks!” When altering character direction, pro wrestlers frequently update their look or theme music. One of the most well-known examples is the transition of red and yellow Hulkamania into “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan.
Some veteran WWE fans expected Cena to relaunch his “Basic Thuganomics” theme, but they were met with the familiar trumpets of “My Time is Now.”
“You don’t get a new look, because you dress like me, you idiots,” Cena told the crowd. “You don’t get new music, that is my voice on my song, your time is finally up and my time is now!”
On March 1, Cena went heel for the first time in 22 years, but he refused to name his character’s evolution as such. Cena, in his first appearance since the Elimination Chamber, framed his attitude shift as an overdue reaction to the audience’s treatment of him.
“For 25 years, I’ve been a victim of an abusive relationship,” Cena told the crowd. “All you do is harm me, bully me into becoming your puppet, and expect me to do it with a smile. No more! I’m not a babyface. I’m not a heel. I’m a human person. You’ve been nasty to me.
“What have you ever done to support me? All you do is steal my personal moments and time; I am an object to you. For 15 years, you’ve treated me like the butt of a ridiculous invisible joke.
Cena’s rise to the record-tying 16-time world champion was rapid, but not easy. Cena’s uninteresting role was lambasted when it premiered in June 2002. He was almost dismissed from WWE before discovering a popular rapping gimmick in November.
One year later, Cena turned and never looked back. Before joining The Rock, Cena’s farewell tour in 2025 was met with a rousing reception. But for much of the 2010s, he was booed by an adult public anxious for him to be a bad person, something WWE never did throughout his full-time stint.
“No matter what I do, it is never enough, and you should all be ashamed of yourself. “All you ever do is take,” Cena stated. “Not one of you sons of bitches asked how I feel.”
Undisputed WWE champion Rhodes challenged Cena in Belgium that evening. It was their first meeting since Cena, The Rock, and rapper Travis Scott left Rhodes beaten and battered in the Elimination Chamber. The WrestleMania 41 adversaries avoided roughness, but Rhodes’ remarks were biting.
“I was excited about going at it week after week with John Cena, but instead, I got this…” Rhodes stated. “You better go find John Cena because I want to face him, not this whiny bitch.”
Rhodes vs. Cena is one of four confirmed matchups at WrestleMania 41. The two-night event takes place on April 19 and 20 at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.
