John Cena on his heel turn: "Going against the fans’ energy is a losing battle"

John Cena was one of the main stars of WWE Clash in Paris. He defeated Logan Paul in a singles match and had a new encounter with the Belgian fan, who this time awaited him in the entrance ramp with much more space than on the episode of Friday Night SmackDown last Friday. On that show, Cena apologized for his attitude, completely closing his heel phase in the company.

The seventeen-time world champion spoke after the show about his unexpected turn to the face side after spending most of the year as a heel. The change occurred on the last SmackDown before SummerSlam, just before his match against Cody Rhodes. According to Cena himself, it was all about listening to the fans.

"Keep in mind that what we do is try to entertain the audience as best we can. Sometimes that involves taking risks, being brave. You also have to listen to the audience. There came a point where, in Cena vs. Randy, you started to hear the chants. In Cena vs. Punk in Arabia, you heard the noise. Cena-Cody at WrestleMania, Cena-Cody at SummerSlam... Sometimes you can make bold decisions, but going against that energy is a lost battle. So you have to listen and pivot, change direction," he admitted.

The veteran also shared a special moment he experienced in Europe: being able to apologize to a young fan he had insulted during his heel phase. "Being able to apologize to my friend, the kid from Brussels, was great. Being able to tell him I was sorry because I said hurtful things. I was having a bad day, so to speak. I think we will reflect a lot more on all of this in January."

Now that Clash in Paris has ended, it remains to be seen how John Cena's farewell tour will conclude. With 8 more dates on the horizon, his next stop will be the SmackDown show taking place this Friday, September 5th in Chicago. It is expected that he will begin his rivalry with Brock Lesnar on that show.