After John Cena’s shocking heel turn at WWE Elimination Chamber, WWE alum Tommy Dreamer envisioned him getting serious mileage out of it, with a constant stream of heat following him. Four months later, Dreamer has noticed quite the opposite happening.
“I still don’t think the heel turn has worked because they just cheer for him,” Dreamer said on “Busted Open Radio,” “but it has given him different opponents. He is going out there and doing his best and it’s you, the fan, that continues to cheer for him. I know Dave [LaGreca] has a problem with it. I don’t. If there was someone just coming up, if it was Austin theory – not that they’re just coming up — and/or Grayson Waller doing the same thing John Cena was doing, they’d probably be the biggest heels in the business. But because it’s John Cena, they are reacting that way.”
In his heel run, Cena has notably faced Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and CM Punk, all of whom are top babyfaces in WWE. Still, the WWE Universe has extended Cena much support, even in segments and matches pitting him directly against them.
According to Dreamer, one of the things hindering Cena from maximizing his heel status is his inability to truly make good on his promise of “ruining wrestling.” If Dreamer were in Cena’s position, he would blur the lines between kayfabe and reality, particularly by staying in character in public and on social media. Given Cena’s work with WWE and other projects, however, Dreamer doesn’t believe the 17-time champion has been able to fully immerse himself in his role as a bad guy.
Most recently, Cena successfully retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against CM Punk at WWE Night of Champions, albeit after a number of interferences and a Money in the Bank cash-in tease.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
