Triple H Reveals How John Cena Reacted To Shocking WWE Heel Turn

The wrestling world is still feeling the effects of John Cena's wild heel turn at WWE Elimination Chamber, as he's set for a collision with Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41.
But how it actually came to be is another story.
While various accounts on how it all went down have surfaced, speculation has mounted as to whether or not Cena actually wanted to do it after spending two decades as one of WWE's top babyfaces.
But in speaking with the Daily Mail, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque said it was not difficult to convince the 16-time world champion to sign off.
'No," he said. 'It was a conversation - without getting into the details - it was a conversation that when it was brought up, everybody... I think in John's mind he was like 'wow, I didn't think you were going to say that. I love it.'"
Levsque said Cena took the move as something to prove, an approach he has had for much of his career.
"It's a challenge to him. John's not a complacent person, right? I think he would have done it and he would have done it happily and he would have done it for fans, but I think there would have been a piece of him that would have been like 'alright, I'm just going to go through my day here,'" Levesque said.
Triple H himself knows what it's like to go in and out of good and bad while at the top, and he drew a unique comparison for Cena in this instance.
"This now, I guess it's no different than if a Hollywood role for any actor where they say 'we'd like you to play the character you've played in 20 other movies pretty much and just do the same thing.'
"It's like 'OK.' At a certain point in time they come and they give you something way off something you've ever done and you're like, 'Wow, alright, that's a challenge I've never done before,'" he said.
Cena and Rhodes will headline the second night of WrestleMania, while CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins will be the main event for the opening evening.
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Jon Alba is an Emmy Award and SPJ Award-winning journalist who has broken some of pro wrestling's biggest stories. In addition to writing for The Takedown on SI, he is the host of "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" podcast, and a host and contributor for Sportsnet New York. Additionally, he has been on beats for teams across MLB, the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS during more than a decade in the sports media sphere. Jon is a graduate of Quinnipiac University with a B.A. degree in Journalism.
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