Cena’s idea was to lean in the complete opposite direction of his previous character. According to the actor, his plan was to stop working as hard, become untrustworthy and disloyal, and begin making fewer appearances for fans.

“All those things you can take and make interesting stories,” Cena stated. “And this is the stuff that’s running through my head, not what moves can I do. It’s like how can I take the intellectual property that people are familiar with and twist it so it’s like this guy’s insane. It’s everything I’ve come to love and now I genuinely hate it.”

However, the decision was made not to turn the perennial hero. It came down to dollars and cents, as heels sell less merchandise than the good guys, and that would mean a lot of lost revenue for the company.

According to Cena, that was the primary explanation for his hesitation to turn heel throughout his career. The “Peacemaker” star said he would have been happy to become a villain if so much revenue didn’t rely on his merchandise sales and the positive image he represented for the company. The WWE star felt responsible for keeping that success going rather than taking a chance with a major character turn.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.