The wrestling world is still buzzing after the shocking events of March’s Elimination Chamber: Toronto pay-per-view event, where John Cena stunned fans by turning heel and appearing to side with The Rock.
In the weeks since, Cena has leaned into his new villainous persona, frequently blaming the fans for his dramatic change in attitude.
During an appearance on the “High Performance” podcast, Triple H shared insights about the decision, revealing that Cena was genuinely enthusiastic when the heel turn was first pitched to him. He said,
“As we came into it John is going to come back and he wants to retire and do one last run. John and I spoke, and he is very much the quintessential pro in that, ‘I have my thoughts on things, but whatever you want me to do, I will give you 1000% and do that to the best of my ability. I just play a character named John Cena.’ He’s not overly concerned about the stakes of it or anything else. When we talked he was like, ‘If you want me to lose every match, if you want me to win every match, if you want me to be champion again, that’s all fine with me.’ We started to talk about it and in my mind, and I think it was in his mind too, the safe thing to do is a year-long tour where he goes town to town and he does his greatest hits and it’s safe, easy, and fun. As a performer, you’re sort of going through the motions and playing the same concert you’ve played a million time. People love it, but I’ve seen it. It’s nice, safe, easy, and fun. I went to John and said, ‘What if we pull the lever than no one wanted to ever pull and what if we turn you heel.’ To me, it felt like, if you never do it, it’s just left dangling there. Now, we get to write for this guy that has been this ultimate good guy for 20-plus years. We get to turn him bad. How does that look? In the first conversation we had about it on the phone, John is very great with pitches, he lets you get all the way to the end, he doesn’t say much, he just listens and when you get to the end he was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t think that’s where you were going to go with this. That’s bold, but I f**king love it. I love it because I could be safe, I could be easy, I could come in and phone this in and do my greatest hits and move on or I could be challenged. This is challenging to me. This is a juicy role. Now, how do I make these people hate me?’ Who knows, by December, does he see the light and become a good guy again? Maybe. Does he retire as a bad guy?”
WWE is a unique form of entertainment — weekly episodic television with no offseason. As Triple H famously said after WrestleMania 39, “The story never finishes.”
Because of its ongoing nature, WWE often faces criticism from fans reacting to storylines on a week-to-week basis. But as the company’s chief creative officer, Triple H consistently urges patience.
“Sometimes you’re wrong,” he admitted in an interview with Andrew Schulz on “The Flagrant” podcast. “But the truth is, you can’t judge a story based on one moment in time or how people are reacting to it right now. Hopefully, if you’re smart and you believe in the story, you know where it’s going. If you’re confident in the payoff, you accept that there will be times when people say, ‘This sucks. I don’t like this.’”
When asked if the constant criticism bothers him, Triple H responded with perspective, saying, “Yeah, because most of the people saying, ‘This sucks, I don’t like it,’ are still tuning in next week to see if we fix it.”
As for how long a storyline can be stretched before delivering the payoff, he said, “That’s the thing. I’m not going to say we’re always successful — nobody bats a thousand — but I like to think we’re pretty good. You can’t panic.”
Referencing The Rock, he added, “Rock will come in and say, ‘That was stupid, Rock did this thing,’ and then go, ‘Just shut up and enjoy the ride.’”
Triple H emphasized that they often do have the big moments fans are asking for — but timing is everything. He stated, “People say, ‘I wish they would’ve done this.’ We are going to do that — I just can’t do it today. The event isn’t for six weeks. The story has to build. You can’t give away the payoff in week one.”
Randy Orton recently reflected on his long-standing relationship with John Cena, which began during their training in WWE’s Ohio Valley Wrestling.
Their rivalry has greatly shaped WWE’s history, particularly through their title matches.
During a recent interview with ESPN, Orton recalled when he realized Cena was exceptional and would be a key figure in his life.
Orton said, “In WWE developmental, there was this guy named BJ Payne. Jim Cornette wanted BJ to cut a promo on the spot, in front of everybody. BJ, bless his heart, kind of just stood there for a second — cat had his tongue. And right then and there, Cena stood up and just cut a promo. It was storytelling 101. We were on the edge of our seat like, ‘Oh, this guy is really f—ing special.’ That was the first time I realized, ‘Oh man, I’m going to know this guy for the rest of my life.'”
Orton last wrestled Cena in a losing effort in February 2017.
(h/t – Fightful)
