John Cena is not turning heel at WrestleMania 29 and here's why

Every now and again, the calls for John Cena to turn heel get so loud they become impossible to ignore. Much like Hulk Hogan before him, Cena has played the same babyface character for such a long time that it's hard not to wonder how much of an impact it would have if he ever made the decision to become a bad guy.

After all, Hogan did it and became one of the greatest heels in the history of the industry.

It took quite a bit of convincing to get "The Hulkster" to that point, though, and even then he was basically dragged kicking and screaming into it. He was also on the downturn in his career, with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) hardly using him at that time. It was only after he saw how successful he could be with his new look -- and how much money he could make -- that he went right along with it.

With Cena, it's different. He's got a lot more to consider, such as his charity work with children. And it's that very fact, coupled with a few other important considerations, that will keep him from turning heel for now (via ESPN):

"I just don't see me getting there in order to please a very small group of 30-year-olds. To be very honest with you, every single week I meet kids with life-threatening illnesses and they'll tell me how much I mean to them, and their parents will tell me how inspirational I've been to their kids. We raised a million dollars last year for breast cancer. I'm helping spearhead the Hurricane Sandy relief fund at this year's WrestleMania. I've been able to give back to the military in Tribute to the Troops. And I'm currently working on a program to help America shave 5 million pounds. All of this stuff I would have to stop if I was a 'bad guy.' To be a bad guy, you actually have to be a bad guy. I just don't have it in me, personally. So although you might get a great story out of it for nine months, doing it would just take away so much, and I don't have that club in the bag."

Those are some of the same issues Hogan had with turning heel, like actually living the gimmick and giving up all the perks that come with being the good guy face of a company. From the sounds of it, Cena would also need to be dragged kicking and screaming into doing it and with everything he does for WWE, it's highly unlikely Vince McMahon would ever force him into doing it.

Sorry, folks. Even if a Cena heel turn makes sense in kayfabe land with his ongoing story, it's not something we should expect to happen during his match against The Rock at WrestleMania 29 this Sun., April 7, 2013, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

For that matter, it's probably safe to just wait until Cena's career is all but dead and a heel turn is the last thing to save it.