‘Who Cares?’ John Cena Opens Up About His Iconic Heel Turn

In conversation with Chris Van Vilet, the WWE legend opened up about his heel turn at the Elimination Chamber, mentioning that what happened wasn’t pre-planned.

“No, that stuff you see on Unreal is real. ‘We need to make Chamber big, so let’s do something that’ll shock everybody.’ ‘Hey, man, we got this idea.’ No problem, I’ll do the best I can,” he said.

During the heel turn at the Elimination Chamber on March 1, Cena, who won the multi‑man match, earning a title shot at WrestleMania 41, betrayed long-time ally Cody Rhodes. The heel turn, the first one for Cena in over two decades, saw him align with the Rock, which was rather symbolic of him “selling his soul.”

On the other hand, when asked about the initial plans involving The Rock and rapper Travis Scott, he didn’t dwell on their absence, even though only Scott was seen once during the WrestleMania 41 main event.

“Who cares? It doesn’t matter. We can talk about what could have been until the cows come home. And I think that’s what’s great about the people who are left standing,” he said about Rhodes and himself during the events. “Certainly, me and Cody. What’s the change? This? All right, let’s go. I don’t dwell for one second on what could have been, because what could have been is Brock doesn’t leave for the NFL, and there’s no John Cena.”

“One of Them Is Going To Be You”

WrestleMania 41 saw Cena win his 17^th world championship. The win, while undoubtedly historic, also meant he would have the opportunity to set the stage for younger wrestlers to one-up him.

“I want to win 17 so I can shake the hand of the performer that wins 18. So what it meant to me, personally, was, ‘Hey, young-ins, one of them is going to be you. You better get working, because I don’t want to be in the ground when 18 happens.’ I want to shake somebody’s hand,” he said during the same interview. “And something that’s impossible is now possible. So that’s what it means to me, hopefully, by my actions, this is possible. Holy hell, this guy wants to shake my hand when I pass it, and I can’t wait to do that.”