In a recent discussion with The Daily Mail, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s CCO, shed light on his dialogue with John Cena regarding the latter’s shift to being a heel. Triple H suggested that Cena had no issues transitioning.
For the first time in over two decades, Cena turned heel at the WWE Elimination Chamber in Toronto. He teamed up with The Rock, launching an attack on Cody Rhodes.
Following are some key points from the interview:
Discussing the planning behind Cena’s change, and whether it was top on his priority, Triple H said, “Absolutely. There’s always excitement exploring the ‘what ifs’. John’s versatile. John came and said, ‘I’m gonna be here for a year and then I’ll exit. Let’s do whatever we want during this time.’ These conversations begin to take shape. We ponder, what’s the most significant thing we can pull off? And then align it with reality. Often, people forget the human aspect. They all have real-life responsibilities. John just finished a movie. But this opportunity is a huge deal. It would have been convenient for him to play it safe– do the same thing he’s done for over 20 years. But we decided to take people by surprise and steer in a different direction.”
Regarding the process of persuading Cena, Triple H shared, “Our dialogue was such that everybody felt a thrill when this idea was discussed. I believe John thought, ‘Wow, I didn’t anticipate this. It sounds exciting.’ John’s never been one to rest on his laurels. He would have gladly done his usual acts but part of him would have felt like he was just going through the motions. It’s similar to an actor getting offered the same kind of roles over and over. At some point, an unusual, challenging role invigorates them. The same happened with John. He’s energized, and so are we. This promises to be an epic event.”