Triple H appeared on The Tonight Show this week to promote the highly anticipated WrestleMania 41 event, where Night 2 will be headlined by Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against John Cena — a match set in motion by Cena’s shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber.
Cena, who won the men’s Elimination Chamber match to earn his title opportunity, aligned with The Rock and Travis Scott at the event, turning on Rhodes with a low blow and helping orchestrate a brutal beatdown. Now on the road to his in-ring retirement, Cena is embracing a darker persona — and Triple H likens it to one of cinema’s most iconic villains.
“So John Cena, who is the ultimate good guy and has been… his whole mantra his entire career – Hustle, Loyalty, Respect,” Triple H told Jimmy Fallon. “He has just been the ultimate good guy. As a human being, he’s done more wishes for Make-A-Wish than any other celebrity in history. He’s incredible.”
“But the challenge on this is he’s in his retirement run. He will end his in-ring career in December with WWE. So he’s kind of got this year as his farewell.”
Triple H went on to describe Cena’s current run as a heel, noting that he’s fully committed to making fans boo him — a tall task for one of the most beloved figures in WWE history.
“He came back and turned into a bad guy. In our business, he turned heel, and he beat the crap out of Cody Rhodes with The Rock and with Travis Scott. It’s amazing to see that transformation of John from the most beloved character in WWE to just Darth Vader. They hate him, and he is working very hard to make them hate him.”
Cena’s transformation has been a central talking point heading into WrestleMania 41, and Triple H’s comments only add fuel to the fire of anticipation. With Cena’s farewell tour underway and WrestleMania looming, his match with Rhodes promises to be one of the most emotional and polarizing in WWE history.
