Former AEW World Champion MJF praised John Cena for his shocking heel turn at WWE Elimination Chamber: Toronto. Known as one of the best heels in pro wrestling, MJF has spent most of his AEW career as a villain.
Although he briefly turned babyface in 2023, a shoulder injury cut his run short later that year. After returning in 2024, MJF initially played a babyface but quickly embraced his heel persona again.
Since then, he has feuded with Will Ospreay, Adam Cole, Jeff Jarrett, and now Hangman Page. He is set to face Page this weekend at AEW Revolution 2025 in a grudge match. Recognized as one of the top heels in the business, MJF applauded Cena’s betrayal of Cody Rhodes and alliance with The Rock, calling it an “awesome moment.”
MJF on John Cena’s shocking heel turn: ‘It was an awesome moment’
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, MJF shared his thoughts on John Cena’s recent heel turn. He revealed that he watched the moment live and found it to be an exciting and impactful event.
He stated, “John Cena is a good friend of mine. I get really annoyed when people in either company pretend that they don’t….let me put it this way. Yes, I was watching it. I was watching it live. It was an awesome moment, and everybody should think it was an awesome moment because it was. Point blank. End of discussion. If you are in the world of professional wrestling. If you are a top guy and you don’t watch or consume as much pro wrestling as you possibly can, can you call yourself a student of the game? Can you say you’re putting your best foot forward? Can you claim to be one of the best in the sport? In my opinion, no, you absolutely cannot.”
He continued, “If you were to ask a WWE star, ‘Have you been watching AEW?’ and they say no, one of two things is happening. One, they are lying through their fucking teeth or two, they don’t care enough about this industry to study what’s going on in it. I was in my beautiful home on Long Island, and I watched Elimination Chamber. I can assure you there will be plenty of WWE wrestlers who will be watching Revolution. If you’re a real athlete and you aren’t in the clue or in the know of what’s going on in your sport, I pity you. I think you do not take your job seriously. Yeah, [Cena turning heel] was awesome. It was fucking awesome. We’ll have plenty of cool moments on March 9.” [H/T: Fightful]
Cena and MJF are no strangers to each other. In late 2023, they were spotted together at the Iron Claw movie premiere. Cena also praised MJF for his professionalism during their interaction, despite competing in rival promotions.
