Fans Hated John Cena as a WWE Villain, But He's Perfect As 'Coyote vs. Acme's Bad Guy

Years after it seemed like it was going to be used as a tax write-off by Warner Bros. Discovery and vaulted forever, Coyote vs. Acme is finally hitting theaters, thanks to an intervention by Ketchup Entertainment. Coyote vs. Acme is a triumphant movie for many reasons, but one of its greatest achievements is a top-notch villainous turn by longtime action hero and stalwart former WWE Champion John Cena. The actor plays against type as Acme's chief legal counselor, the irredeemable Buddy Crane. Cena's outstanding work as the film's villain is even more interesting when you consider it alongside his ill-advised turn to evil (or "heel turn," in wrestling terminology) during his WWE Farewell Tour. Wrestling fans rejected Cena's long-awaited heel turn in WWE, but his villainous performance in Coyote vs. Acme absolutely soared due to better writing and better direction — and it makes the case that Cena should explore the dark side more often.

John Cena Broke Bad in the Final Year of His WWE Career

For many years, John Cena carried the torch as the face of WWE. He led the company into a new era, as it moved back toward a family-friendly product and shifted to a TV-PG rating in 2008. Although Cena began his top WWE Superstar run as an edgy freestyle rapper, he tweaked those attributes, becoming a resilient, virtuous, and noble hero (or "babyface" as termed in wrestling) who was known for his charity work with Make-A-Wish and motivational slogans such as "Never give up!" Cena attracted plenty of detractors and critics, especially among older members of the wrestling crowd, but he never turned heel again after ascending to main event status. That is, not until early 2025, during his retirement tour. At WWE Elimination Chamber Toronto, Cena did the unthinkable, betraying then-champion Cody Rhodes in one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history.

Unfortunately, the ensuing storyline featuring the heel Cena proved an utter disappointment. Although fans were mixed about Cena portraying the ultimate good guy for years, his heel turn was badly timed; fans were no longer in the mood to jeer or boo Cena. Through years of hard work, he had earned their respect and became universally loved.

On top of that, his heel turn was poorly handled and haphazardly written, leading WWE to abruptly drop the angle right before SummerSlam, transforming Cena back into a virtuous babyface. Cena was a good guy for the remainder of his WWE run, so he could ride off into the sunset as the valiant hero when he wrestled his final match in December. Despite the circumstances surrounding the timing, Cena's heel turn should have been sensational. Its failure stands in stark contrast to his performance as Buddy Crane in Coyote vs. Acme.

Cena Portrays an Outstanding Villain in 'Coyote vs. Acme'

Cena's heel turn failed for multiple reasons, but in Coyote vs. Acme, he hits it out of the park as the slimy Acme lawyer Buddy Crane, main adversary to Wile E. Coyote and Kevin Avery (Will Forte), Wile's small-time lawyer who seeks to expose Acme's crimes against cartoon civilians.

Perhaps it's the opportunity to play against his usual good-guy type or action hero roles, but Cena portrays the character with glee, as Buddy Crane defines the phrase "Someone you love to hate." As Crane, Cena presents a character with no redeeming or sympathetic qualities. He also commits one of the most heinous acts in cinematic history by roughing up and berating poor Tweety (Eric Bauza). Cena's Buddy Crane is a diabolical villain, and yet it totally works.

When Cena interacts with cartoon characters in the film, he comes off as more "animated" and wilder, matching the manic, wild energy of his Looney Tunes co-stars. Maybe it came from his decades in the world of pro wrestling — the WWE Universe is filled with cartoony characters, and Cena is no exception. And there may be another connection to his WWE years: In many ways, Cena's performance closely resembles the negative view held by many of his critics during his wrestling career — that he was a corporate golden boy who always gets ahead in life but acts very manipulatively behind the scenes, bullying those weaker than him. It's startling how well director Dave Green understood the assignment of crafting Cena into the perfect bad guy, whereas WWE executive and Chief Creative Officer Paul Levesque could not.

Cena Should Play the Bad Guy More Often

Cena's villainous turn in Coyote vs. Acme proves he should consider taking bad guy roles more often. Although his heel turn in WWE failed to cut the mustard, he clearly has the ability to portray a villain well. James Gunn, who also produced and co-wrote the story of Coyote vs. Acme, experienced success presenting Cena as a more morally ambiguous character, Peacemaker, aka Christopher Smith, in 2021's The Suicide Squad and its subsequent spin-off television series, Peacemaker. However, even in Peacemaker, the antihero is given the chance to redeem himself, becoming a more well-rounded and sympathetic individual by the end of the first season.

Even in F9: The Fast Saga, Cena’s Jakob Toretto starts as an antagonist to his older brother Dom (Vin Diesel) and the rest of the family, but switches sides by the end. The next time we see Jakob in Fast X, he's a full-blown good guy. Now that Cena's in-ring career with WWE is officially over, he should take more time to explore more villainous and morally ambiguous roles. He’s too good of an on-screen villain not to try walking on the darker side more often.