SmackDown Star Addresses ‘Weird’ John Cena WWE Heel Turn

WWE

Between March and August 2025 John Cena was a heel in WWE, and now the 17-time world champion’s former rival The Miz has contemplated the decision.

The heel turn took place at WWE Elimination Chamber 2025, with Cena returning to familiar face territory just two days before his Undisputed WWE Championship defense against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam Night Two.

During a recent appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys, The Miz, who is very familiar with heel-face turns, spoke about Cena going from one to the other.

Exploring the shift from a more creative standpoint, The Miz noted that it created a sense of intrigue, saying:

“I thought (the heel turn) created intrigue and interest. Because John was never a bad guy – in the beginning of his career he was a little bit, but for 99% of his career, he’s been the uber babyface. When people wanted him to change and go to a bad guy, he never did.

“And so, I don’t know, this is me speaking just from my mind and what I know as a WWE Superstar – it creates intrigue. It’s like, ‘Oh, he’s never done that?’ And maybe John wanted to do that, or maybe the higher-ups wanted him to do that, or it was just a collective unit where they were like, ‘Let’s try that.’ But sometimes that happens, and you see what happens. John can make anything work. John is just that talented.”

If you use this transcription or any portion of it, please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.

The Miz would then go on to explore the work ethic behind John Cena and the impact of shifting back to face, explaining:

“You look at what he’s able to do, not only in WWE, but in the movies. If you watch Peacemaker, that show is phenomenal, so good. It’s the work ethic that John Cena has. And he’s parlayed it to every person that he’s come across. Like, for me, my work ethic stems from what he has put upon me.

“It was kind of cool because he did (the heel turn), and then it was like, ‘Ooh, this is weird, this is interesting, but everyone’s talking about it, because it’s John Cena.’ And then when he changed back, it created that much more, ‘Yes, he’s back. Our guy’s back.'”

If you use this transcription or any portion of it, please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.

With Cena referring to himself as “the last real champion”, Lance Storm has expressed his dislike of that term following a recent promo on WWE Raw.

The Miz would also share his thoughts on Cody Rhodes being seen as a midcarder in WWE before his departure that would see the formation of AEW and a successful independent wrestling run.

If you use this transcription or any portion of it, please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.

To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!

• wwe
• John Cena
• The Miz

Share this article with friends