The Miz Gives Candid Insight into John Cena’s Failed Heel Experiment

The Miz who headlined WrestleMania 27 with John Cena gives his views on Cena's short-lived heel run in 2025.

The Miz Gives Candid Insight into John Cena’s Failed Heel Experiment

The Miz on John Cena's heel run (via WWE)

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John Cena spent the majority of his legendary WWE career as the ultimate babyface, embodying the ‘Never Give Up’ mantra and serving as the face of the company for more than a decade. Adored by kids yet polarizing among older fans, Cena never embraced a heel persona during his prime despite constant calls for it. That finally changed at Elimination Chamber 2025.

WWE pulled the trigger on a shocking heel turn when Cena betrayed Cody Rhodes, aligned with The Rock, and sold his soul to win his historic 17th World Championship at WrestleMania 41. The move generated massive buzz at first, but many fans and critics later branded it a failed experiment.

The turn came too late in Cena’s career, when he had already become a larger-than-life figure outside the ring, making it difficult for audiences to buy into him as a true villain. Even when he leaned into darker antics, such as ruining wrestling for everyone or proclaiming himself the last real champion, fans still couldn’t help but cheer him.

The Miz recently opened up about the backstage chatter surrounding Cena’s heel run. While the turn initially delivered on the hype, the momentum eventually fizzled, and Cena reverted to his longtime babyface role just before SummerSlam ahead of his rematch with Rhodes. The sudden reversal left many puzzled, wondering what WWE’s reasoning had been. 

Speaking on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, The Miz explained that he believed the company wanted to create intrigue by finally turning Cena heel, considering his nearly two-decade run as the company’s ultimate good guy.

I thought it created intrigue and interest because John was never a bad guy. Like, I mean, in the beginning of his career, he was a little bit. But I mean, for 99% of his career, he’s been the Uber baby [face]. Even when people wanted him to change and go to a bad guy, he never did.

The Miz via Bussin’ With The Boys podcast

The former WWE Champion, who famously defeated Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 27, suggested the heel turn may have been an experimental project to gauge fan reaction. While it succeeded in getting people talking, it ultimately didn’t stick. The Miz praised Cena’s talent and relentless work ethic, admitting that he found inspiration in it. 

It was kind of cool because he did (the heel turn), and then it was like, ‘Ooh, this is weird, this is interesting, but everyone’s talking about it, because it’s John Cena.’ And then when he changed back, it created that much more, ‘Yes, he’s back. Our guy’s back.

The Miz via Bussin’ With The Boys podcast

When the host implied that Cena’s sudden babyface return may have been because the heel run didn’t click, the former Intercontinental Champion agreed. He noted that while the heel stint was exciting, Cena’s return as a babyface felt far more impactful. With only a limited number of appearances left, it reminded fans why they fell in love with the good guy Cena in the first place.

The Miz talks about Cody Rhodes replacing John Cena as WWE’s poster boy in 2025

At SummerSlam 2025, Cena fully turned babyface in his rematch against Cody Rhodes and delivered the performance of his career. The bout not only earned him his second-ever five-star rating from renowned wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, but also saw him drop the WWE Title to Rhodes. Many fans viewed this as a true passing of the torch, cementing ‘The American Nightmare’ as the face of the company.

However, this moment was years in the making. Fans will recall that Rhodes left WWE in 2016 due to creative frustrations over his Stardust character. He went on to reinvent himself on the independent scene, building his name and credibility. In 2019, he played a pivotal role in launching All Elite Wrestling, becoming one of its most recognizable stars and a three-time TNT Champion.

Cody Rhodes replacing John Cena as the face of WWE
Cody Rhodes replacing John Cena as the face of WWE (via WWE)

Despite his success, Rhodes faced constant criticism and disrespect, which eventually fueled his decision to return to WWE in 2022 at WrestleMania 38. Since then, Rhodes has main-evented every WrestleMania for three consecutive years, battling top names like Roman Reigns, The Rock, and Cena.

The Miz recently weighed in on Rhodes’ transformation from a midcarder to WWE’s poster child. Speaking on Bussin’ With The Boys, he explained how Rhodes completely changed the narrative about himself.

He was unhappy in WWE. He left, he created a whole underground vibe of literally a huge fanbase that brought him back to fruition. WWE didn’t look at him as a main eventer. They said he’s a midcarder. So he said, ‘I’m better than that….so I’m going to leave, and I’m gonna build, and I’m gonna make you believe that I’m a main eventer. And he did exactly that. He came back, and now he is our poster child.

The Miz via Bussin’ With The Boys podcast

Before his AEW run, Rhodes also made his mark in promotions like Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and TNA Wrestling. In NJPW, he joined the Bullet Club and captured the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, while his time in ROH saw him reign as World Champion and World Six-Man Tag Team Champion alongside The Young Bucks.

However, there is no doubt that Rhodes is the next big guy for the Stamford-based promotion for the next 5-7 years. And this is similar to what Cena did in his first run as ‘The Franchise’ between 2005 and 2014. It will be interesting to see if Dusty Rhodes’ son could surpass what Cena did in his heyday. 

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