Triple H Reveals How He Convinced John Cena to Turn Heel

Triple H has pulled back the curtain in a way rarely seen in WWE history, revealing it was his own pitch to finally turn John Cena heel.

Appearing on the High Performance podcast, Triple H spoke candidly about the creative process behind what has become one of the most talked-about character shifts in recent memory. While the storyline is still unfolding on television, Triple H peeled back the curtain and openly discussed the decision, a level of transparency that would have been unheard of in past eras of WWE.

"We started to talk about it and in my mind — John and I just spoke about this the other day, I think it was in his mind too — the safe thing to do is a yearlong tour where he goes town to town and he does his greatest hits," Triple H explained. "It's safe and it's easy and it's fun. But as a performer, you're sort of going through the motions. You're playing the same concert you've played a million times. People love it, but I've seen it. … But I went to John and said, 'What if we pull the lever that no one wanted to ever pull? What if we turn you heel?' Because to me, it sort of felt like if you never do it, you just kinda left that dangling there."

He went on to outline all the talking points Cena used in his first promo, like how the fans always booed him, how he always won and how the crowd couldn't stop chanting "Cena Sucks."

"So, when we go through that, John [Cena] and I talk about it. John is like, 'Wow, I didn't think that is where you were going to go with this. That is bold, but I love it.' And he was like, I love it because I could be safe, and I could be easy, and I could phone this in, and just do my greatest hits, and move on. Or I could be challenged, this is challenging to me. This is a juicy role. How do I make these people hate me?" Triple H said.

"As things were progressing and we were getting closer, it was a conversation I had with him, and I said, 'Hey, I know you’ve thought about this a lot. We all have. If not now, when? Let’s just do it. Let’s just go all the way with it.' And he was all in. He’s just been phenomenal at it, he really has. You don’t know, until you do it, how it’s going to go. You don’t know how people are going to react. But I think they were ready for it. And I think he was, too. And, man, it’s been fun to watch. I’m glad we did it. I’m really proud of him. He’s been amazing. And you could see it. He’s having a blast with it, and it’s awesome," he concluded.

It’s notable that Triple H is openly discussing this storyline while it is still very much in progress, a stark contrast from how WWE used to operate. In the past, executives and talent would typically only reflect on creative decisions well after they played out on television. Now, there’s a clear shift toward engaging the audience in real-time and making them part of the process.

Cena’s heel turn has been one of the major story arcs of 2025, and this candid reveal from Triple H only adds another fascinating layer to the story. It underscores not just the evolution of Cena’s character, but the evolving philosophy of WWE leadership under Triple H’s direction.

WrestleMania 41 is set to take place in Las Vegas in 2025, where all eyes will be on how this new chapter in Cena’s career continues to unfold.