3 Reasons why John Cena turned babyface on WWE Smackdown ahead of SummerSlam 2025

John Cena and The Rock kicked off the go-home episode of WWE SmackDown. Surprisingly, The Last Real Champion turned babyface again. The heel version of Cena only survived for 153 days.

The 17-time champion thanked Cody Rhodes for a walk-up call and promised that the only platinum rapper that would attack him at SummerSlam is him, ensuring there will be no run-ins like WrestleMania, and they will compete in a fair war. Cena also said he doesn't want to ruin wrestling; he loves it. He just wanted to take the title home so that fans didn't forget about him.

In this listicle, we look at three reasons why John Cena turned babyface on the August 1 edition of SmackDown hours ahead of SummerSlam:

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#3. Approaching the end of his career

Cena's retirement tour is over halfway through, and fans and wrestling pundits constantly clamored to see the Last Real Champion hang up his boots as a babyface.

John Cena turning babyface before retiring later this year was inevitable. The SmackDown before SummerSlam has served as a perfect time for the Last Real Champion to turn good guy.

#2. Planting The Rock's return to WWE

During his baby face turn promo on the August 1 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, John Cena even took subtle shots at The Rock and Travis Scott for manipulating him to turn heel and then leaving him on his own.

This entire segment could be the launching pad for The Rock's return to the Stamford-based promotion at SummerSlam, who may punish John Cena for breaking the deal.

#1. Cody Rhodes' heel turn

There has been buzz and anticipation around the entire WWE Universe regarding the American Nightmare embracing the darker side and turning heel for the first time since his return to the sports entertainment juggernaut.

Many fans noted that Cody Rhodes appeared furious when John Cena officially turned heel and even had an evil smile on his face, giving shades of a heel turn.

Rhodes may finally sell his soul to the Final Boss at WWE SummerSlam 2025, beating John Cena with the help of The Rock and becoming his corporate champion.

About the author

Nayan is a WWE News and Features writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. After completing his bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Poddar International, he began working as a YouTube script writer. Nayan then transitioned to Pinkvilla as a combat sports writer. He gained valuable experience there before finally coming under the banner of Sportskeeda.

Within 1.5 years, Nayan has written over 1,000 articles, interviewed MFN promotion owners, and conducted a Twitter campaign that gained over 50k retweets and more. He puts fact-checking and mindful journalism above everything by applying a three-check method, where he tries to verify reports from reliable sources and cross-check whether other major publications have covered them.

Looking back at his association with pro wrestling, Nayan recalls being hooked on the sport after watching Shawn Michael vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. Since then, the product has been an inseparable part of his life.

Apart from The Heartbreak Kid being Nayan's favorite wrestler for his confidence and charisma, he is also a fan of Brock Lesnar due to The Beast's "work speaks louder than words" attitude.

Nayan can be found performing mixed martial arts and reading true crime in his free time.

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Edited by Angana Roy