Jim Ross: I Never Understood Why WWE Didn't Turn John Cena Heel
"Why didn’t we do that? Why was that not done?"
Apr 13, 2021
Jim Ross has admitted he was never fully on board with WWE's decision to never turn John Cena heel.
Cena has been a face character since late 2003 in WWE storyline, despite heavy fan booing of the multiple-time WWE champion during the majority of his run in the company. It is only in recent years, as Cena steps back into a part-time position, that his legacy has been afforded more appreciation and respect by the audience.
Former Head of Talent Relations Ross, who is now with AEW, believes the reactions from the WWE audience showed that they were desperate for a Cena heel character but reasons that Vince McMahon could only see him as the babyface.
Speaking on his 'Grilling JR' Podcast, he said: "The thing that’s always been funny to me is Cena never turned heel. Why didn’t we do that? Why was that not done? I’ve heard John didn’t want to be a heel, but I don’t really believe that one.
"I just think Vince felt like he was such a pristine babyface, but if you listen to the audience, there was a long time there where he wasn’t a pristine babyface…..the audience, more often than not, would tell you what they wanted to buy. You just listen to the reactions.
"I was always amazed that Cena got booed so much, and it was a lot like Roman Reigns getting booed when he was just getting rolling. The Cena thing, I never quite understood why we didn’t pull the trigger on that deal."
H'T 411 Mania
