Stone Cold Steve Austin believes John Cena’s shock heel turn had to happen ‘sooner or later’.
The 16-time world champion, who was WWE‘s top babyface for more than two decades, attacked Cody Rhodes and aligned himself with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson at Elimination Chamber.
Cena’s actions transcended the world of sports entertainment, with plenty of high-profile figures beyond the squared circle discussing his heel turn.
The likes of Stephen A. Smith, as well as NFL legends Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, all discussed the incident on ESPN.
Influencer iShowSpeed was also left in disbelief when the 16-time champion ‘turned into the bad guy’ – while Cena’s run as a face was also honored with a Guinness World Record on Wednesday.
Wrestling stars, past and present, have also had plenty to say about Cena’s heel turn – and Stone Cold has become the latest to discuss it.
“It had to happen sooner or later. Finally it happened,” the WWE icon told The Schmo during an interview on the Las Vegas Strip.
“So it’ll be interesting to see, you know, whether the people accept him as a heel, or has he turned himself more babyface?
“I think it remains to be seen as the story unfolds.
“Nonetheless, they’ve kicked off an epic build into WrestleMania. And that’s what they do every single year.
“And this year, it’s in Las Vegas, so it’s going to be pretty damn awesome.”
Austin makes a good point about Cena’s situation, as not every heel or face turn works as designed.
There were times when WWE attempted to flip Stone Cold heel during his heyday, but the fans loved him so much they just wouldn’t give him the heat he needed to go over.
Following his comments on Cena, Austin was also asked if he would have any interest in making an appearance at WrestleMania 41 himself, perhaps in Rhodes’ corner.
“I haven’t been in contact with anybody, so I guess anything could happen,” he responded.
While Stone Cold and Cena are two of the biggest stars WWE has ever produced, they never worked closely together.
But in an interview back in 2023, Austin admitted it would have been great if they had crossed paths in the ring.
“Working with him would have been a real highlight, and I’ve had a bunch of highlights,” he said two years ago.
“It would have been a real special thing.
“There is something about John. People are so invested in his matches. He’s a very special talent.”
At WrestleMania 41, Cena will be using his talents as a heel.
And with Stone Cold suggesting ‘anything could happen’ in the next few weeks, fans will be questioning if there is perhaps a way he fits into the main event picture too.
