Paul Heyman gives honest take on whether John Cena's heel turn was a mistake

Paul Heyman recently discussed whether or not John Cena turning heel in WWE was a mistake. He also commented on whether it went the way he thought it would.

The Cenation Leader shocked the world at Elimination Chamber when he turned heel. While his heel turn initially excited many people, some later criticized the run, with a portion of fans even labeling it a failure. However, Cena is now a babyface again, as he switched sides on SmackDown last week.

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Paul Heyman was asked whether John Cena turning heel was a mistake. He said it wasn't a mistake, but it didn't unfold the way he expected.

"No. (Did it go as you thought it would?) No. Neither. No. Because it opened my eyes to the fact that this is an audience that is here to see stars and performances. As much as they are rooted into the storylines, they are there to appreciate the twisted performance art known as professional wrestling in WWE. (...) I'm glad he got to do it too, because I hate what-ifs, as long as it's about the past," said Heyman. [54:33-57:37]

He added:

"I love what-ifs for the future. What if we do this? What if we do that? (...) 'What if John Cena had ever turned heel? Oh, man. We'll never know.' Well, now we know. Now we know what would have happened. (...) And that would have been a what-if that we all would have asked. And I thought he delivered. I thought he took it as far as he could possibly take it." [57:38-58:56]

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John Cena has a new rival in WWE

The Cenation Leader lost to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam, and even though he wanted to retire with the coveted title, it's unlikely that he's going to ask for a rematch immediately. That's because he has something else on his plate.

John Cena was attacked by a returning Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, so the Beast Incarnate is his current rival and not Cody Rhodes. Perhaps Cena could go after The American Nightmare again after he's done with Brock Lesnar; anything is possible.

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If you use the quotes from the first half of this article, please credit The Ariel Helwani Show and add an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.