John Cena shocked the world on Saturday night at the WWE Elimination Chamber premium live event. The Make-a-Wish Foundation's all-time leader in wishes granted turned heel, ruthlessly beating Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and aligning himself with The Rock. And Travis Scott. I guess?
Cena had hinted about a character change after losing the Royal Rumble in January, but this was one of those things you needed to see to believe.
After all, wrestling fans have been clamoring... begging WWE to turn the former Dr. of Thuganomics heel since the early 2010s.
The moment was massive and undoubtedly one that wrestling fans will revisit over and over as the years go by. But that got us thinking about some of the other monumental heel turns in the history of WWE (so, just so we're clear, Hulk Hogan joining Scott Hall and Kevin Nash won't appear on this list, since that happened in WCW).
Honorable Mentions
Sgt. Slaughter (1990): While we might consider the gimmick a bit dated in 2025, there's really no questioning Slaughter's popularity as a solid mid-card act in the late 1980s. He was a flag-waving, troop supporting good ol' boy. He literally voiced a character on G.I. Joe. That's how popular he was. So when he suddenly became and Iraqi sympathizer in the summer of 1990, people were pretty upset. Slaughter went around talking about how Saddam Hussein didn't invade Kuwait, but conquered it. Pretty rough stuff for the early 1990s.
Seth Rollins (2014): Before fans across the world would sing his song, Rollins was a member of The Shield. The Shield was one of the best things about a relatively down period for the WWE, establishing three new stars - and future WWE champs - from developmental. Rollins slamming a chair into Roman Reigns' back was great for a number of reasons. Firstly, while the group had done basically all it could, fans weren't ready to see it break up yet. Secondly, everyone expected Dean Ambrose to be the one to finally turn, not Rollins. So fans got two great surprises.
Kevin Owens (2017): Yes, it technically wasn't a heel turn, but it made Owens a more hated character amongst WWE fans Everything about the turn itself was incredible. After the turn? Well, it left a lot to be desired. However, the Festival of Friendship was done just about perfectly. Chris Jericho hammed the whole thing up, which made his somber and confused 'Why is my name on this?' that much better. Kevin Owens was appropriately vicious and the entire segment remains a fan favorite. Unfortunately, Owens would lose the Universal Championship soon after and he would feud with Y2J over the United States Championship at WrestleMania, putting on a bit of a lackluster match.
5 greatest women's heel turns in WWE history
Due to the nature of professional wrestling for, well, almost ever, the men and women were never really on the same ground.
So, thankfully, we've come a long way. But, it seems exceptionally difficult to attempt to rank the greatest heel turns in history without splitting them up. So without further ado, here are the greatest women's heel turns in WWE history.
5. Bayley (2019)
Bayley went from being a hugger to a stabber in 2019, deflating her wacky, waving inflatable arm-flailing tube men and making little girls cry online. She immediately defeated Charlotte for the SmackDown Women's Championship (which she would go on to hold for 380 days) and cut a scathing promo, really letting the fans know what was happening. Bayley would have a successful heel run for about four years, putting over Sasha Banks at the 2020 Hell in a Cell PLE in a great match and providing a perfect foil for Bianca Belair. Eventually, Bayley would be kicked out of her Damage CTRL stable, setting up a face turn as she eventually defeated Iyo Sky at WrestleMania 40 for the WWE Women's Championship. Bayley has gone on record saying that her heel turn saved her career, as she believed her face character had grown stale and lost its connection with the crowd.
4. Trish Stratus (2004)
Chris Jericho wanted a little Stratusfaction in 2004, pursuing Trish Stratus as Christian sought the heart of Lita. Y2J and Christian made a bet to see who could get their respective girl first. Unfortunately for all involved, things unraveled relatively quickly. Stratus and Lita discovered the bet, called the two men out in the ring and put an end to it. Well, almost. Jericho continued to show Stratus plenty of affection, while Christian got angrier and angrier. Eventually, Christian told Y2J that Stratus was getting in the way of their tag team goals, leading to a match at WrestleMania 20. Christian cheated to win the match, then Stratus swerved everyone, leaving with Christian and kissing him at the top of the ramp while Jericho looked on stunned. I mean, technically, Stratus led Jericho on and then joined his best friend... but I feel like she was absolutely in the right to be upset about the nonsensical bet.
3. Lita (2005)
Okay, so this needs to be included because Lita and Edge became the most over act in the entire company. But it feels a bit dirty to call this a "heel turn." If you don't remember the details, in true Vince McMahon wackadoo storytelling, given Kane's on-screen relationship with Lita. Then, when Matt Hardy was going to propose to her, Kane crashed it and revealed he was the true father of Lita's unborn child. Feel gross yet? Somehow, it gets even worse. The pregnancy angle ended when Snitsky pushed Kane into Lita, causing a miscarriage. But for Lita, once she and Edge dispatched Kane, it wasn't long before the Rated R Couple cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase on John Cena after he survived the Elimination Chamber at New Year's Revolution 2006, kicking off one of the great heel runs of the last 20 years.
2. Stephanie McMahon (1999)
Here's another angle that, especially in 2025, will make a lot of people wince. But, it was an incredibly effective heel turn for the Billion Dollar Princess nonetheless. In 1999 McMahon and Test were dating, which turned into a proposal, which turned into a wedding ceremony in the middle of the ring. Obviously, as all wrestling fans know, there's never been a ceremony in the ring that ends with smiles. Cue Triple H (and the incredible 'My Time' theme music). Triple H shows a video and explains that he already married McMahon in Las Vegas in a drive thru chapel that certainly involved alcohol and might have involved drugs. It was insane. But, if you can believe it, this was the start of the McMahon-Helmsley era as Stephanie would turn on Vince and take Triple H's side at Armageddon 1999 in a match that, had Vince won, would've annulled the marriage. Insanity.
1. Becky Lynch (2018)
Lynch lost to Charlotte at SummerSlam 2018, but then unleashed a vicious post-match attack, turning "The Lasskicker" heel. Well, it was supposed to turn her heel. The fans in the arena booed as Lynch and Flair hugged after the match, then erupted in cheers as Lynch dropped her with a right hand. This is still the greatest women's heel turn of all-time, simply because it started the process of creating the most over character in the company and gave us the first all-female WrestleMania main event. That fall, in the buildup to Survivor Series, Lynch would break her nose during an invasion angle on Raw, which gave us one of the most iconic images in the history of wrestling. Lynch, blood pouring down her face and soaking her blue shirt, standing amongst the fans. Lynch's turn at SummerSlam was the first time fans got to see a glimpse of "The Man" — a character so popular that Lynch got to share significant time with both John Cena and The Rock on WWE programming.
5 greatest men's heel turns in WWE history
5. Bret Hart (1997)
The best there is, was and ever will be was excellent, as usual, in his WrestleMania 13 clash with Stone Cold Steve Austin. According to Hart, he planned most of the match and even ran the razor for an apprehensive Austin. The closing moments of the match saw a heavily bleeding Austin pass out in the famed sharpshooter submission. After special guest referee Ken Shamrock called for the bell, Hart doled out extra punishment to Austin. The following night on Raw, Hart cemented the heel turn, claiming the fans had turned on him for the likes of Austin and Shawn Michaels. The Hitman wasn't entirely wrong. And like all the best heels, there was plenty of truth to what he was saying. Roughly six months later, Hart would be involved in the most famous wrestling angle of all-time, the Montreal Screwjob. He would then go to WCW.
4. Vince McMahon (1997)
You can say and think whatever you'd like about Vince McMahon, the human (and you'd probably be right). But, Mr. McMahon, the character, is the most important heel in the history of professional wrestling. When McMahon decided to screw over Hart and give the WWE Championship to Michaels at the 1997 Survivor Series, it was a strange mix of egos, works, shoots and confusion. Hart had no interest in losing the title in Canada, particularly to Michaels, as the two hated each other. As Hart tells it, McMahon agreed to swap the belt the following night on Raw. But when Michaels locked in the sharpshooter late in the match, referee Earl Hebner called for the bell. Depending on whose story you believe, some combination of McMahon, McMahon's inner circle and Michaels knew about the plan. But all stories share one similarity: Hart had no idea. The Montreal Screwjob became the jumping off point for the Attitude Era, led by Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon provding the hottest angles in the business.
3. The Rock (1998)
The Rock was red-hot as a babyface going into Survivor Series 1998, so the decision to turn him heel was certainly a gutsy one. However, it was the perfect move. The turn set up the biggest feud of the Attitude Era with Stone Cold. It was truly a magical era in WWE, with two of the biggest stars in the history of the business at the top of the card at the same time. When Rocky turned, became the "Corporate Champ" and aligned himself with McMahon, it changed the game as it allowed him to develop the promo style that we still see today with the Final Boss. In fact, you'll notice the 'trailer park trash' line in his first promo after turning. The Rock held the title until WrestleMania 15, where he dropped the strap to Austin, with the crowd going absolutely insane in Philadelphia.
2. Andre the Giant (1987)
A bit dated, perhaps. But this turn makes the list due to the moment it created. Andre the Giant turning heel on Hulk Hogan during a Piper's Pit was shocking, but it wasn't necessarily an earth-shattering event. However, the feud culminated at WrestleMania III, where the single-most famous moment in the history of wrestling took place — Hogan body-slamming Andre. Without that moment and the success of that WrestleMania, there's virtually no chance that wrestling becomes what we know it to be today. Hogan, much like McMahon, has been plagued by self-inflicted wounds to his personal character, but his role in the 1980s cannot be overstated. Simply put, without Hogan slaying the biggest dragons, we wouldn't have WrestleMania breaking attendance records. Andre, to his credit, worked through tremendous pain at WrestleMania III, cementing the legacy of Hogan in the process.
1. John Cena (2025)
Call me a victim of the moment, but Cena's heel turn took the world by storm. Major League Baseball was tweeting about it, for Pete's sake! The next chapters in this story remain to be written, so we won't really know how this adds to Cena's impressive legacy until it's all said and done. However, for the turn itself, it's tough to beat. Between the shock of Mr. Hustle, Loyalty and Respect aligning himself with the Final Boss, to actually causing Rhodes to bleed, to Travis Scott smoking a blunt in the corner (for real though, why was he there), this was one of the biggest moments in the history of professional wrestling. Even if Cena has been a part-timer for the last few years, even if the heel turn might be a decade too late, it doesn't really matter. The WWE took the golden boy and finally turned him. After years of enduring 'Cena sucks' chants and boos, Cena can finally show another side of himself. We haven't seen Cena work heel since 2003 and even then it was a completely different character than what we have now. It'll be incredible to see where this goes.