Finally! After wrestling fans having spent the best part of the past decade demanding that John Cena turn heel, finally Super Cena is going to be a bad guy. Kind of.
While it’s not his in-ring career we’re talking about here, Cena has signed on to voice a completely new villain in the animated Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Said rogue is named Baron Draxum, officially described as “an alchemist warrior mutant who seeks to turn all of humanity into mutants.” The character will debut in the premiere episode of this new series and will go on to be a recurring villain in the show.
Cena is actually working with Nickelodeon on three new projects; Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, returning to host the Kids’ Choice Awards, and serving as an executive producer on the network’s new gameshow Keep it Spotless.
On this news, the 16-time World Champion enthused, “I’m thrilled to partner with Nickelodeon on three big projects that run the range of what kids love – slime-filled live events, awesomely cool animation and competition shows where kids take their shot at being the best. It’s an honour to come back a second time to host the biggest, slimiest party of the years, the Kids’ Choice Awards. Not only do I get to be a cartoon character in the new Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, but I get to be a villain, too. And to top it all off, I’m stepping behind the camera to executive produce Nick’s new competition series Keep it Spotless, which gives a whole new meaning to staying clean.”
Away from the squared circle, Cena has starred in the likes of The Marine and 12 Rounds in addition to roles in Sisters, Daddy’s Home and Trainwreck. More recently, he provided the vocals for the titular character in the last year’s animated Ferdinand, not to mention being signed on for the upcoming Transformers spinoff, Bumblebee.
The early blurb on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reads:
Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo are four mutant turtle brothers who go on adventures where they end up tapping into mystic ninja powers they never knew existed, while learning to work together and navigate the perils of the modern age and hidden realms in order to fulfil their destiny.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is expected to premiere in September of this year.
