It Finally Happened: We Got A John Cena Heel Turn Before GTA 6

John Cena's heel turn at Elimination Chamber 2025 will go down in history as one of the most shocking TV moments of all time, and with a reference to a long-running GTA 6 meme on his social media, the WWE superstar is clearly aware of it. In case you missed it, Cena took part in the main event of Elimination Chamber on Saturday, and after emerging victorious, he ended the night by turning heel on Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and aligning with The Rock. While wrestlers turning to the dark side is a common part of the wrestling business, Cena's transition is one that has been joked about in the same breath as a GTA 6 release date for over a decade now.

The meme revolved around things that would happen before GTA 6 was released--something Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has commented on--with Cena's pivot toward evil being one of the things on that list. To know just how monumental this moment was, you have to remember that Cena has been a good guy--or babyface in wrestling parlance--for the better part of 20 years, as he transformed from his heelish persona as the Doctor of Thuganomics into a never-say-die main-eventer in the early 2000s. This is the Cena that most wrestling fans are familiar with, and outside of the ring, the Cenation leader has granted a record number of Make-a-Wish requests, often visiting sick kids in the hospital and being a source of inspiration for many with his wholesome persona.

The closest equivalent to this would be Hulk Hogan's heel turn at WCW: Bash at the Beach in 1996, as he transformed from the quintessential good guy into NWO leader Hollywood Hogan. What's also notable here is that Cena is currently in the middle of his retirement tour, and with a main event booked for Wrestlemania 41, he stands to make history if he wins and becomes a 17-time world champion. Cena leaning into the GTA 6 meme looks like a good bit of fun from the legendary performer, as he has done so in the past with references to his invisible man status thanks to his "you can't see me" catchphrase.

As for GTA 6, it's still scheduled to release on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 in Fall 2025, and with Gearbox announcing when Borderlands 4 will be out, the fuzzy release window for the game might be coming into focus. Details on the game are still being kept under lock and key for now, but according to recent reports, DJ Khaled may appear in GTA 6 and there are rumors that developer Rockstar Games might embrace user-generated content in it.

Image credit: Netflix