Wrestling legends Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff recently weighed in on John Cena’s shocking heel turn at WrestleMania 41, offering their insights on how the moment stacks up against Hogan’s infamous turn in WCW that led to the formation of the New World Order (nWo).
Speaking to Forbes, Bischoff highlighted key differences in execution, while still expressing admiration for Cena as both a performer and a person.
“Look, I respect the hell out of John Cena. He’s a good man and I consider him a friend, but I’d say the differences are pretty substantial,” Bischoff said. “John Cena’s change of character to heel was spontaneous… There were rumors of it, and people speculated, but it wasn’t part of a storyline that was being built with anticipation.”
Bischoff contrasted that with the legendary “third man” angle that shocked the wrestling world at Bash at the Beach 1996:
“With Hogan, we built the anticipation. We delivered. Cena’s moment surprised everyone, but it didn’t have that same layered, episodic storytelling element.”
After initially deferring to Bischoff, Hogan chimed in to offer his perspective, praising Cena’s contributions to WWE as a top babyface:
“Well, first off, John Cena was my favorite wrestler,” Hogan said. “Because I grinded for years, brother, and there was no Rock, no Stone Cold. There was only me for 20-plus years. John stepped up and really ran with the ball.”
Hogan acknowledged Cena’s legacy off the screen as well:
“I think he saw more Make-A-Wish kids than anybody’s ever seen.”
However, when it came to Cena’s heel turn, Hogan echoed Bischoff’s thoughts about the lack of follow-through:
“When The Rock did the throat thing, cut his throat, and John Cena turned heel, I expected more of the same… I expected characters to keep rolling out like we did… but it didn’t feel like that big tidal wave coming at you.”
“When the nWo took over, man, we just cleaned house and beat everybody’s ass, and we just killed it.”
While Cena’s heel turn at WrestleMania 41 stunned the WWE Universe, Hogan and Bischoff believe the long-term impact and execution will determine if it reaches the legendary status of their historic nWo angle.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for continued updates on this developing story and all things WWE.
