While a heel on paper, John Cena has still attracted cheers from the WWE Universe, even up against beloved babyfaces like Cody Rhodes. To potentially capitalize on this dynamic, some pundits envision Cena reverting back to his original babyface form at WWE SummerSlam. In the eyes of Tommy Dreamer, however, a character turn at that point in time seems pointless.
"What is the turn? That they're going to cheer for him? They're going to go. 'Let's go, Cena. Cena sucks!' Whoa, riveting turn," Dreamer sarcastically said on "Busted Open Radio." "He's gonna nut shot Cody to people cheering 'Yay'? Listen, it's not per John Cena. He has done everything in his power. I watched the contract signing where he was trying to back out of the match, and then at the end they're still cheering for him."
Back in March, Cena shedded his "hustle, loyalty, and respect" attitude with the promise of then "ruining wrestling" and retiring as world champion at the end of 2025. Initially, fans responded to this with buzzing boos, especially as Cena called them toxic. Over the following months, though, the same fans began cheering him, with WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray attributing it to the inability to genuinely boo a figure who many view as one of the greatest performers of all time.
In the main event of SummerSlam from MetLife Stadium, Cena will defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against Rhodes in a Street Fight. This comes after Cena dethroned Rhodes at WWE WrestleMania 41 and Rhodes earned a rematch by winning the 2025 King of the Ring tournament.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
