3 matches since 2005 where John Cena was the heel

John Cena turned heel for the first time in over 20 years at the 2025 Elimination Chamber, but that doesn't mean he has always been the good guy in his matches. Despite being listed as a babyface for most of his WWE run, there were times when he wasn't the favorite in the ring.

Since 2003, John Cena has been listed as a babyface in WWE. That status quickly elevated him to the top of the division and made him one of the most notable superstars in wrestling history. Although he mainly played a character that younger audiences could look up to and serve as their hero, there were times when, despite being known as the babyface, he was not liked by the crowd and felt like the bad guy.

In this list, we will look at three matches since 2005 where John Cena seemed like the heel.

#3. John Cena vs. Rob Van Dam at the 2006 One Night Stand

After ECW shut its doors in 2001, WWE acquired the company and held reunion shows in the following years, among them was the 2006 One Night Stand. Extreme Championship Wrestling had several notable names on its roster, but Rob Van Dam was arguably the biggest. Unsurprisingly, he got the support of the audience during the premium live event.

John Cena may have entered the match as the WWE Champion, but fans didn't treat him as such. He received harsh chants and signage, and when he threw his shirt to the crowd, the audience just threw it back in the ring. The title match ended with RVD becoming the new champion.

#2. John Cena was Chicago's biggest enemy in 2011

CM Punk was involved in many high-profile feuds in the 2010s, the biggest possibly in 2011 when it was announced that his contract with the company was about to end at that year's Money in the Bank PLE, storyline-wise. Due to his status, Vince McMahon didn't want him to battle for the WWE Championship held by John at the time, as that might mean Punk would walk away with the gold.

No star can get more support than Punk in Chicago, and that was on full display during their WWE Championship match. Fans cheered loudly every time Punk got the upper hand and let John know that he wasn't welcome in their city. At the end of the bout, despite Vince's attempt to interfere, Punk won the match and walked away as champion.

#1. The Rock won over the crowd at WrestleMania 28

The Rock and John may be working together now in WWE, but they gave fans an exciting and high-profile rivalry from 2012 to 2013 which resulted in two WrestleMania main events. For their first battle at 'Mania 28, fans preferred to see The Final Boss take the victory.

At this point, Dwayne Johnson hadn't returned in a while due to his Hollywood obligations, which is why many wanted to see him defeat Cena. Also, this was when fans started to turn their back on John for getting continuously "put over" in his feuds.

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