Eric Bischoff On If John Cena Could Turn Heel In WWE Today
At the WCW Bash at the Beach pay-per-view in 1996, Hulk Hogan turned heel to join the NWO with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. At the time, Hogan was one of wrestling's most beloved wrestlers of all time. Hogan had almost a 15 year long run as the top babyface of the wrestling business, so it shocked the wrestling world when he finally turned heel.
This century, John Cena has become in many ways the Hogan of this era. Since turning babyface in 2003, Cena never turned heel. During the #AskEricAnything episode of the 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff talked about the possibility of Cena turning heel today and if it would match the shock factor of Hogan's turn.
"Now, today? No, it's gone too far," Bischoff said. "Will we see Cena in the ring again? I'm sure we will, and I think that drive and desire to get back in front of a crowd, there's nothing like that."
"I've never been a wrestler, I've been a character, but I have been in that ring and I have been involved in enough actual matches with large crowds, there's just nothing like being in the centre of the stage and you've got 15-60 thousand people focused on you and reacting to everything you do. That is the most powerful drug out there for people who love to perform. There's no way to replace it."
Bischoff continued to talk about Cena coming back as a heel. Bischoff believes that the ship has sailed for Cena to turn heel.
"John Cena has a great movie career, he's getting better all the time, I see him in commercials all the time, his life as a professional is probably more fulfilling now in many ways than it ever was able to be inside of WWE, but not in all ways," Bischoff stated. "I expect to see John back but I don't think at this stage in his life if he were to turn heel the audience would buy it.
"Would they have bought into it 5-8 years ago? Absolutely, and John could have pulled it off. But now? I think that train has left the station."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.