Cena says brief heel turn failed, focusing on farewell dates

John Cena acknowledged at a recent Fan Expo Chicago panel that his brief heel turn earlier this year did not succeed, saying he "failed" while urging fans to focus on the present as he finishes his ongoing retirement tour. The 17 time world champion made the comments while responding to a fan who asked how he might have handled the storyline differently if a high-profile ally had not remained absent from later marquee events.

"No. I wasn't upset. I just know I failed. Ain't nothing wrong with that. You can learn from failure, right? I went out there and bombed," Cena said, later adding that "hindsight is a waste of time" and that he preferred to concentrate on the remaining dates of his farewell run. He told the audience there are 11 shows left and that he expects to reflect more fully after the tour concludes.

Cena had turned heel earlier in the year at the Elimination Chamber event by attacking then Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The turn drew significant attention and debate from fans and commentators, and Cena reverted to a babyface role on the August 1 episode of SmackDown, two days before a rematch with Rhodes at SummerSlam. At the Fan Expo panel, a fan framed the...