As John Cena’s farewell tour nears its end, nearly every wrestling fan has thought the same thing: I would’ve done something differently.
While there have been a few memorable moments, this run hasn’t been anywhere near what many fans hoped for. And of course, we all have our own ideas on how things should have gone.
Lucky for me, as a columnist for PWMania, I get to share mine. So follow along as I take you through how I would have booked John Cena’s heel turn — his final, shocking evolution before retirement.
Setting the Stage: The Road to WrestleMania
Even though I’m rebooking this heel turn, I’m not changing anything up through Elimination Chamber. We can still give Jey Uso his flowers at the Royal Rumble — Cena didn’t need that win. He still takes the victory at Elimination Chamber, but we save the heel turn.
Yeah, I know — politics, The Rock, yada yada yada — but we all saw how little it ended up meaning in the end.
So for me, the build-up to Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena at WrestleMania is a respectful promo feud, sprinkled with subtle tension and competitive jabs. I’d also insert Seth Rollins into some of those segments.
In those promos, Rollins plants the seed of an alliance — hinting that Cena, Rhodes, and himself could form something special. He could win the Night One main event of WrestleMania, and then help Cena and Cody on Night Two. Neither man accepts, but in the final promo before WrestleMania, Cena and Rhodes reference it — subtly sowing distrust.
WrestleMania Night Two: The Shocking Turn
On Night Two of WrestleMania, Cena and Rhodes have the same style of match they did at SummerSlam — until chaos erupts. Both men are down, and the referee is out.
Instead of a long Travis Scott entrance, we get Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman walking to the ring. Rollins slides in with a chair, ready to strike Cena — but Cody stops him.
Cody helps Cena up, but as he confronts Rollins, Cena low-blows Rhodes! Rollins smashes Cody with the chair, and Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment to win the WWE Title.
WrestleMania ends with Cena, Rollins, and Heyman triumphant in the ring — The Vision is born.
The Vision Takes Over
Cena says nothing on the first RAW after WrestleMania. Heyman and Rollins do the talking for him, explaining that Cena felt disrespected, used up, and forgotten by the fans — and that he plans to retire as the last real champion in pro wrestling.
Cena retains against Randy Orton in his first title defense, just as he did before, and The Vision grows stronger.
At a press conference, Cena issues an open challenge for the next Saturday Night’s Main Event. AJ Styles interrupts, calling Cena a coward for hiding behind Rollins and Heyman. Cena defeats Styles with The Vision’s help, then chaos ensues — with Cena and company attacking Jey Uso.
R-Truth runs out to save his childhood hero but gets laid out too. Cody Rhodes makes the final save, clearing the ring and setting up an 8-man tag for Money in the Bank: John Cena, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed & Logan Paul vs. Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, AJ Styles & R-Truth.
The babyfaces win — with R-Truth scoring the pin on John Cena.
Night of Champions & SummerSlam Season
At Night of Champions, Cena faces R-Truth in Saudi Arabia — the perfect setting for the bout. Cena wins, of course.
Heading into SummerSlam, CM Punk wins the King of the Ring tournament, earning a title shot against Cena. Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes moves to RAW and beats Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship — only for Seth Rollins to cash in and steal the new World Heavyweight Title.
During the build, Punk teases a “secret weapon” against The Vision. At SummerSlam, The Vision surrounds the ring… until Brock Lesnar’s music hits. Lesnar destroys everyone, leaving Punk and Cena one-on-one. Punk wins the WWE Title, marking the beginning of the end for The Vision.
Breaking Down The Vision
At Clash in Paris, Punk retains against Cena — and this time, The Vision doesn’t help. Cena questions their loyalty, and Rollins tells him to “start carrying his weight.” Cena fires back, accusing them of being afraid of Brock Lesnar.
This leads to Wrestlepalooza: John Cena & Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk & Brock Lesnar. Punk and Lesnar win, and afterward, The Vision finally turns on Cena.
At Crown Jewel, Cena gets revenge by defeating Bronson Reed, earning a measure of redemption.
Survivor Series: Cena’s Last Stand
As Survivor Series approaches, The Vision aligns with The Judgment Day, forming a supergroup for WarGames. They mock Cena, saying he’s alienated everyone.
On RAW, Cena confronts them alone — until help arrives. Out come Penta, AJ Styles, R-Truth, and Brock Lesnar to stand by Cena’s side. Together, they defeat the heels at Survivor Series: WarGames, marking Cena’s final triumph.
John Cena’s Final Match
For Cena’s farewell match, I’d use the rumored retirement tournament, with the winner facing Cena. I’m torn between Seth Rollins and Gunther, but I’ll go with Rollins here.
Cena defeats Rollins in an emotional classic, retiring as World Champion.
The next Royal Rumble then decides the new champion — closing the book on the career of the greatest WWE Superstar of all time.
Final Thoughts
So what do you think — did you enjoy my rebooking of John Cena’s final run? Drop me a line on Twitter @JCWonka and let me know your thoughts!
