Paul Heyman Talks John Cena Abandoning WWE Heel Character, Says Turn Wasn't A Mistake

WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman has discussed John Cena's heel turn and why he is glad he did it.

While speaking on "The Ariel Helwani Show," Heyman detailed Cena's heel turn and his decision to drop it just before SummerSlam.

"I think John Cena abandoned the heel Cena character the Friday night before SummerSlam," declared Heyman.

He stated that it wasn't a mistake to turn Cena heel, but conceded that it did not unfold the way he had expected. Heyman stated that the heel turn and the subsequent crowd reaction opened his eyes to the mindset of modern WWE fans. 

"It opened my eyes to the fact that this is an audience that is here to see stars and performances. As much as they are rooted in the storylines, they are there to appreciate the twisted performance art known as professional wrestling in WWE. And here's how I knew: the moment [mimics Cena's entrance theme] and John Cena comes out, that place went nuts," said Heyman. "[But when he got in the ring] Boo him out of the building as a heel. And the moment they saw the red light go off and knew the show was over, and he's standing there in the ring, they all gave him a standing ovation because it's his last time as an in-ring performer in that city. And they're all chanting, 'Thank you, Cena.' So the audience knew their role. And that's fascinating to watch."

Despite John Cena's heel turn being somewhat of a failure, Paul Heyman is glad that it happened, stating how he doesn't like "what ifs" in pro wrestling. 

"It was just fascinating to watch. I'm glad he got to do it, too, because I hate 'what ifs,'" said Heyman. "What if John Cena had ever turned heel? Oh man, we'll never know. Well, now we know. Now we know what would have happened. The 'what ifs' I like are for the future; I can't stand them for the past. And that would have been a 'what if' that we all would have asked. And I thought he delivered. I thought he took it as far as he could possibly take it. He even took it places I didn't think he was going to. And he put his heart, his soul, and his passion into it. And it was a risk for him to do that."

Heyman explained how Cena turning heel was risky to the John Cena brand, considering the amount of merchandise he sells, while the nasty things Cena said as a heel could've cost his Hollywood career as well. 

"Number one, that man sells a lot of merchandise. He makes a lot of money on merchandise. Number two, hey, you never know who you're going to piss off," he said. "So John Cena has much bigger deals in Hollywood than I do, and you don't know what studio head you're going to pi*s off."

Cena will now move his attention to Clash in Paris, where he will face Logan Paul, and a match against old rival Brock Lesnar.