WWE star John Cena has revealed that he would be open to the prospect of turning heel later in his career.
The long-serving Cena has been the company's leading babyface for around a decade, and despite being roundly booed by the majority of WWE's older fan-base since 2006, the current US champion is yet to turn on television.
Cena explained that the possibility of changing his TV persona was discussed by the company during his WrestleMania match with The Rock in 2011, and he said that he would not oppose the change if he were asked to do so now by the creative department.
"It was discussed briefly during the program with The Rock," Cena told Chris Jericho on a podcast for the WWE Network. "And immediately I ran off like a cartoon, I recorded new theme music, got new [ring attire] made, and this was just off a 'hey we may be thinking about [the heel turn]'.
"It's not like I'm not ready for it, but at the same point, I'm just trying to do my job the best I can. If it happened, I thought it would have been great. It would have been great to go out there and show that different side.
"At the same time, it's great to go out there and be inspirational. Grown men are saying 'man, when is he going to be a bad guy?' but the eight-year-old kid in the front row is literally lit up, and that makes everything worth it. People say 'just turn heel' but I say I already get booed, so I'm the biggest heel in the company. Would I be open to it? I'd be open to whatever."
Cena became the US champion when he beat Rusev at WrestleMania 31 last month.