‘Who cares?’ – John Cena blasted for ‘horrendous’ interview over The Rock controversy

John Cena has angered a section of WWE fans after appearing to dismiss criticism of his heel turn earlier this year.

After decades of playing the good guy, Cena aligned with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and rapper Travis Scott in a huge storyline twist that dominated the headlines back in March at Elimination Chamber.

WWE

It saw the icon embrace on-screen villainy for the first time since his formative career years, with the promise of a long-term storyline involving Rock, Scott and Cody Rhodes, only for the plan to be viewed by many fans as having fallen flat.

Rock hasn’t been seen on WWE screens since. Fans had hoped – though had not been promised – that Johnson would show up at WrestleMania as Cena battled Rhodes for the WWE Championship, but were forced to make do with a cameo from Scott instead.

Fans question Cena’s refusal to explain the heel turn

Cena won the title that night and continued his heel run alone – barring a brief tandem with Logan Paul – before dropping the gold back to Rhodes at SummerSlam in August, having re-embraced his ‘good’ side in the weeks leading up to the bout.

To many, then, the whole heel turn, so explosive in its execution and planning, was a waste – and also took up a significant portion of what is Cena’s final year in the wrestling ring.

It’s resulted in frustration among those who invest heavily in the storytelling on which wrestling has always been based, and on which WWE has explicitly said it builds its programmes around.

Cena, however, appeared less than concerned by the criticism over the stunt, outright refusing to even discuss what the original plan had been when it was first conceived.

It’s a fair assumption that the jaw-dropping, viral moment at Elimination Chamber was the start of something big, but the legendary performer had no interest in discussing what that was or who it involved.

Asked outright what the plan was, he told Chris Van Vliet: “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. Certainly me and Cody. What’s the change? this? All right, let’s go.”

He continued: “I don’t dwell for one second on what could have been, because what could have been is Brock [Lesnar] doesn’t leave for the NFL and there’s no John Cena.”

That no-nonsense refusal to peel back the curtain – even slightly – did not land well.

WWE

WWE

One fan said: “For a guy with so much personality on the mic, he is absolutely horrendous to listen to in interviews.”

Another added: “He has mastered the art of saying a lot of words while simultaneously saying nothing at all.”

A different viewer, reflecting on the timing, wrote: “That’ll come out at some point, but not in the week of his retirement is he going to be having people wishing for something that could have been in his final year.”

And fourth took aim at the evasiveness: “It sucks that he’s so well media trained because he never gives a straight answer…”

The backlash shows how much fans still care about the abandoned storyline and how abruptly it seemed to end.

Cena’s farewell year pushes toward a final showdown

The heel turn that began with Rock, Scott and one of the wildest visuals of the year effectively morphed into a solo act, then dissolved entirely as Cena drifted back to the heroic role he carried for so long.

YouTube: Chis Van Vliet/WWE

Since then, his final run has taken on a more familiar shape. Cena captured the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in his career during the autumn stretch – another milestone for a résumé that has grown more crowded by the month.

His reign was short, ending in defeat to previous incumbent Dominik Mysterio, their short feud only serving to elevate the youngster – generally regarded as a far better use of Cena’s immense talents.

Now everything converges on his last stand. Cena faces Gunther this Saturday at Saturday Night’s Main Event in what WWE is billing as the final chapter of a 20-plus-year career.

Through it all, his final year has still produced the kind of moments fans will replay long after he hangs up the jorts for good.

He wrestled AJ Styles again in a full-circle echo of their prior classics. He mixed with Paul. He showcased several rising names on his way out.

But even with all that goodwill, the abandoned heel turn looms over the year in a way Cena’s interview did nothing to dispel.