Add John Cena to the long list of those who believe that Roman Reigns is flourishing as a heel.
It's been nearly 10 months since Reigns pulled off a stunning and unexpected heel turn at the end of SummerSlam 2020, when he attacked both Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman following their Universal Championship match. On the ensuing episode of SmackDown five days later, Reigns formed a partnership with legendary Paul Heyman to cement a heel turn for the ages.
During an interview with Chris Van Vliet (h/t WrestlingInc.com), Cena complimented Reigns' work as a heel. The 16-time World Champion opines that the lack of crowds during Reigns' run as a bad guy helped the latter create his successful heel character.
"I also think this time has allowed performers like Roman Reigns to unobstructively mold his character. If you send him from city-to-city, there may be some audiences that don’t care what he has to say, and just want to boo or cheer him. But without that (obstruction), Reigns has absolutely needed this time, and in it, he has developed his personality, his character.
Reigns has found out who he is. So, now, when he goes back to live audiences, they are not confused. He spent this 15-month block to define who he is. And he’s the one who could benefit the most from it. On the other hand, established performers like myself would have had a difficult time with no audiences."
It's widely believed that Reigns and Cena will headline SummerSlam on Aug. 21 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cena hasn't wrestled a match since WrestleMania 36, when he lost a cinematic "Firefly Fun House" bout to Bray Wyatt. Cena was cautious about not giving away any hints in regards to his SummerSlam status.
Unlike Reigns, Cena has yet to experience a heel run as a main event star. But in that same interview with Van Vliet, the future Hall of Famer hinted at a potential heel turn down the road.
Cena and Reigns faced off at No Mercy 2017, with the latter scoring the pinfall victory. Only time will tell if we get Reigns vs. Cena Part II, this time with the former acting as a heel.
Cena Needs A Heel Run, Too
Reigns' move from babyface to heel has been a game-changer not only for himself, but for the entire WWE product. Cena has accomplished just about everything as a heroic character, so why not give him at least one run as a bad guy? The 44-year-old now has a busy Hollywood career, and the clock is ticking on a potential Cena heel run. WWE should look at the success of Reigns and simply use that as inspiration to give Cena at least one run as a villainous character. And it needs to happen soon.