Ishaan Rathi on March 5, 2024
The wrestling industry has had some of the most iconic and intriguing rivalries in its rich history. Each of them has its own aura and popularity, and so did the feud between The Rock vs John Cena. The WrestleMania rivalry between the People’s Champion and the Franchise Player still gives chills to millions around the world.
The power-packed storyline featuring two of the greatest talkers in the history of the industry turned out to be an unforgettable classic. In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, the 16-time World Champion addressed his iconic feud with the Rock. While addressing some inside facts about the storyline, Cena revealed that he was very close to turning heel in the feud.
John Cena stated that he had a new theme song and a new gear prepared for the feud. However, this didn’t make him a heel. He also thought of making lesser public appearances, becoming untrustworthy, and even not doing the Make-A-Wish grants. However, this would’ve stolen his identity which was the reason WWE opted out.
“It was Cena Rock 1. I got word that they were going to do it. I went out and recorded a new song. I went out and got all new gear. I wasn’t prepared for Ruthless Aggression. That was the last time I wasn’t prepared. I mean, I heard rumblings of, we’re going to do it, and in 48 hours, I had a new track, a new studio mix theme song, and a final mix. I had seven new singlets, low-cut singlets with boxing-type robes. I already had the boots in storage, so I dusted them off. I was ready to go and already thinking about what I could do with the story. Okay, what is a heel? A heel is not just new gear. The objectivity, or the message behind the singlet and the boxing robes and the boots is the exact opposite of what you saw with the street gear, the jeans shorts, the t-shirt, the ball cap, the sneakers.”
“Go the opposite route and now lean into the opposite of everything you stand for. So I would begin to not work as hard. I would show up less. I would be untrustworthy and unloyal. I would lack respect in what I did. I would give up a lot. All those things you can take and make interesting stories and this is the stuff that’s running through my head, not what moves can I do. It’s like, how can I take the intellectual property that people are familiar with and twist it so it’s like, this guy’s f*cking insane. It’s everything I’ve come to love and now I genuinely hate it and being a real bad guy, and I think that was the conversation that was eventually had where it’s like, okay, it’s a bad idea…”
John Cena and The Rock came face-to-face for the first time in years in October last year during an episode of WWE Smackdown. While The Rock has been making regular appearances in WWE, with his potential in-ring return coming up at WrestleMania XL, Cena is still not confirmed for the event. However, WWE has been planning to get the 16-time World Champion on the show for something memorable.
Was John Cena turning heel for a feud against The Rock a bad idea? Drop your thoughts in the comment section below.
March 5, 2024 8:37 am
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