When John Cena turned heel on Cody Rhodes at the Elimination Chamber, it turned heads around the professional wrestling world, from young fans crying on social media all the way up to Hulk Hogan, the WWE Hall of Famer who has since become a fixture of the post-retirement media scene.
Like Hogan, Cena made a massive turn that took the wrestling world by storm, ending one of the most beloved babyface runs of all time, but what did the “Hulkster” think about how the move with excited? Did he enjoy seeing Cena turn bad? Or does he see room for improvement within the angle? Well, in an interview with Forbes, Hogan answered that very question, noting that he had some issues with how the storyline has been executed.
“Well, first off, John Cena was my favorite wrestler. Let me start there. 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, and he did a really great job,” Hulk Hogan noted via Cultaholic Wrestling.
“And at the end of the day, when he turned heel—like the [nWo] storyline… not only did we deliver, we rolled out with me, Hal,l and Nash. And that story kept snowballing and snowballing, and we kept getting more evil and evil. And so for me, watching that story with John Cena, when The Rock did the throat thing, cut his throat, and John Cena turned heel, I expected more of the same.
“And then John Cena came out and there was no Rock, and I just got disconnected at that point, 'cause I was expecting the characters to keep rolling out like we did. So I know everybody's got movies and obligations and stuff, but it didn't feel like that big tidal wave coming at you. Like when the nWo took over, man, I even hate to say the word, we just cleaned house and beat everybody's ass, and we just killed it. All the babyfaces were crying and complaining, and it got really ugly. We were so powerful with that trio.”
Unfortunately for Cena, Hogan's evaluation is not unique, as The Rock opting against going to Las Vegas for WrestleMania 41 caused more than a few fans to label the Night 2 main event a certified bust versus expectations. While there's still time to save the angle and build something more instead of riding on increasingly spent momentum, if Cena keeps cutting the same promos without any real growth, the chorus of detractors will only continue to grow.