Mick Foley was as “surprised” as anyone over John Cena’s heel turn at Elimination Chamber.
Entering Wrestlemania 41, Cena will enter his Undisputed WWE Championship match against champion Cody Rhodes as a heel.
It’s the first time in 22 years that the 17-time World Champion is a heel and adds an interesting layer to the main event at Wrestlemania. The idea of Cena winning his record 18th World Title — which would break Ric Flair’s record — was already interesting enough.
However, the long-awaited and what appeared to be unfathomable heel turn by Cena has everyone in the wrestling world buzzing.
Foley gives credit to Cena for going through the “transformation” from longtime babyface to heel in a very believable manner, crediting the 47-year-old’s experience as a full-time actor now in Hollywood.
“I was surprised,” Foley told Card Player in an exclusive interview. “I heard about it; I think I was on the road when it happened. I watched it back and we were marveling about how we knew it was John Cena, but he’d almost taken on a transformation. He almost looked like a different human being. I think all the years in Hollywood have served him well because the look on his eyes was so realistic.”
For over a decade, Cena was the face of the WWE before transitioning into more of an acting career around 2018. He did so as a babyface and someone who was popular amongst the younger fans due to his catchphrases such as “Hustle. Loyalty. Respect” and his reputation for granting the most wishes through Make-a-Wish Foundation.
The last time Cena played a heel was in 2003 when he had his “Basic Thuganomics” gimmick. Considering the long stretch since he last played a heel, Foley gives credit to Cena for the “magnificent turn.”
"It didn’t look overblown," says Foley of Cena’s heel turn. “It wasn’t like he was playing to the top row of the upper level, which can look silly in high definition. It was a magnificent turn. I applaud everyone involved for having the guts to carry it out. I am worried about those kids who love Cena, but most of those kids are 20 years old now. I think they can understand and he still has a very powerful connection with the younger fans.”
Foley’s point is true — most of the kids who grew up during Cena’s full-time run in the WWE are adults now. Furthermore, this is his retirement tour and his final year wrestling, which means it’s now or never to capitalize on the long-awaited Cena heel turn that many adult fans have been clamoring for.
Lastly, it adds a layer of surprise and intrigue that no one expected in this Cena-Rhodes feud entering Wrestlemania.
The 59-year-old Foley switched between babyface and heel during his full-time run in the WWE between 1996 and 2000. While he played a heel early on, he reached the peak of his popularity as a babyface in 1999 when he won the WWE Title for the first time and when he eventually teamed up with The Rock to form “The Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection.”
Foley knows better than anyone what it takes to play a good heel and a good babyface. He says everyone gets one “good” turn during their careers and says that Cena pulled it off. He also says he hadn’t been that surprised by a heel turn since Terry Funk turning on Flair in 1989 and Hulk Hogan’s famous heel turn at Bash at The Beach in WCW in 1996 to form the NWO with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.
"Everyone gets one good turn," says Foley. “Any turn after the first turn is at least partly a money grab, but everyone deserves one great turn and John Cena pulled it off.”
The “Hardcore Legend” isn’t sure which direction they head into when it comes to Cena and whether or not he’ll remain heel for the remainder of his retirement tour. He did say that eventually — whether it’s while he’s still wrestling or in retirement — “all will be forgiven” and that the fans will love Cena again.
Foley says wrestling in its core is “about forgiveness.” He points towards the Steve Austin heel turn in 2001 at Wrestlemania X-7 before he turned back to being a babyface several months later. When people talk about Austin, they don’t remember heel Austin — they remember the 3:16 Austin that was giving the Stone Cold Stunner to Vince McMahon.
He does repeatedly mention how good and powerful this recent heel turn by Cena is.
"This is so good," says Foley of Cena’s heel turn. “This is so powerful. People have to remember it. The ironic thing is that it’s going to cause the people who hated him to love him and going to cause the people who love him to hate him. It’s still going to be a 50-50 split. It’s just a completely different 50-50 split.”
At a recent Monday Night Raw, Cena delivered his second promo as a heel, claiming that he’ll “ruin wrestling” by winning the title, taking it home with him and then retiring.
While many believe that Cena will emerge with the championship to break the World Title record at Wrestlemania, Foley isn’t so certain that it will happen at the grandest stage of them all.
"I don’t know," says Foley. “That’s part of the intrigue of watching the show and I think it’s going to be a great event. It’s going to be really memorable.”
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DJ Siddiqi is a sports reporter who focuses on football, basketball, baseball and pro wrestling. He has covered some of the biggest sporting events, including the NBA Finals and Wrestlemania and often interviews high-profile athletes. Siddiqi has interviewed the likes of Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, Tony Hawk and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
*Photo courtesy of @foleyispod on Twitter/X_