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Austin lauded Cena for his tremendous contribution to WWE and gave his stamp of approval for the 48-year-old’s transformation into a villain
John Cena. (X)
Stone Cold Steve Austin spoke about WWE legend John Cena’s recent heel turn and praised the superstar’s character transformation. Cena underwent his character shift at the 2025 Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event. Weighing in on Cena becoming a villain, Austin called it a ‘breath of fresh air’ and compared the character shift to his own controversial transformation.
Austin hailed Cena for his tremendous contribution to WWE and gave approval to his transformation into a villain. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, the 60-year-old applauded the undisputed WWE champion and said ‘I love’ the path Cena has taken.
‘John’s had a hell of a damn run and to see what John’s doing and where he’s going right now, I love it. To see him as a heel is a breath of fresh air to me. I tried to turn heel, and that was something that didn’t need to happen. We tried to force that, and it didn’t fit. I think the way John did it, I think it fits,’ Austin said as quoted by ITR Wrestling.
The former WWE champion, who is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, compared Cena’s transformation with his own controversial one after the turn of the century. Back in 2001, Austin went through a character shift at WrestleMania 17 where he aligned with Vince McMahon. Austin defeated The Rock for the WWF Championship.
Austin’s heel turn polarized opinions as his huge fanbase found the change into a villain difficult to accept. Extremely popular at the time, the great wrestler’s transformation was shortlived. Austin reverted to the leading character following the 2001 Survivor Series. The WWE closed out the chapter there and has barely ever revisited the storyline.
Austin also confirmed having moved on entirely from wrestling and said it won’t be possible for the ageing great to make a comeback to the ring. But he promised to continue making WWE appearances and unravel some Stone Cold Stunners.
Cena became the undisputed WWE champion with a record 17 titles at WrestleMania 41, where he defeated Cody Rhodes. The superstar had earlier announced a retirement tour, calling the fight against Rhodes his last at WrestleMania.
News sports ‘A Breath Of Fresh Air’: WWE Icon Stone Cold Steve Austin Likens John Cena’s Heel Turn To His Own