John Cena Accepts Heel Turn As A Failure, Wishes He Could’ve Literally Ruined Wrestling
The retirement tour of John Cena was filled with twists and turns that not everyone was pleased with, with many criticizing the follow up to the heel turn.
Cena promised to leave wrestling as the Undisputed WWE Champion and to ruin wrestling in the process.
Speaking to Graham GSM Matthews on WrestleRant, Cena reflected on his final year and what it meant to him.
“As far as, ‘Did it work?’ There are a lot of aspects to that. From a business side, we didn’t have a seat left. People watched in numbers. I don’t know if it didn’t work from a business standpoint, but then there a creative standpoint. Sometimes, blockbuster movies are poorly reviewed by critics. I understand where, critically, people are like, ‘This isn’t what I wanted.’ Intrinsically, I would’ve loved to have a chance to literally ruin wrestling. To wrestle so poorly that people just wanted to see me go and wanted to see a hero thwart me. We didn’t have that kind of time, and that would not have been good for business. That would’ve made people stop coming to shows and the numbers go down.
“I’m grateful that I had good guidance and mentors. I’m also accountable for critiques. Long and short, I’m glad to have done it. I never asked for [the heel turn]. It wasn’t my idea. It was Paul’s idea. He asked me, and two seconds later, I said yes. Just like facing Brock or tapping out to Gunther. ‘Yes.’ That’s how I do business. Yes, just let me tell the story my way. If we never did it, I would’ve been fine. In reflecting, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m glad we got to do it because it helps me now when I speak to younger talent and say, ‘Be bold. Take chances. Don’t worry about failing.’ I come from a place of activity, not a place of privilege where I’m in some sort of protective bubble. A lot of folks will say, ‘The heel turn failed.’ Okay, I accept that as a failure, but I swung boldly. A lot of folks were upset with the finish of the last match. I accept that critique, and I feel great that I swung boldly in my final moment.”
Cena would turn babyface less than six months after his shocking heel turn. He tapped out to Gunther in his final match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in December.
He is still involved with WWE and the John Cena Classic is still set to take place at some point this year.
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