Jim Cornette on If John Cena Should Have Turned Heel

From Episode 250 of Jim Cornette's Drive Thru
Artwork by Travis Heckel!
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[@ThymeKeeper]

Cena has said many times he would have gladly turned heel if there was anyone who could do what he was doing for Make a Wish and charity. That meant more to him than the wrestling business per se.

[@misterknightowlsguitarrant6984]

Too be honest, I wouldn’t want to go into hospitals, visit dying kids and have to be an asshole to them either.

[@EazyE11]

@@misterknightowlsguitarrant6984 *MJF has entered the chat.

[@pleaseshutup7053]

That’s a damn lie cena has said multiple times he doesn’t want to go heel

[@scourge8143]

@@EazyE11 “I’m healthier than you, and you know it!”

[@CactusInsane]

@@pleaseshutup7053 Cena has said he would had turned heel a few times over the past 10 years. 2013 was the last time we got close when he had a new attire and made a new theme song but got canned last minute

[@Thecallmemisterajp]

Glad Corny mentioned scripting. I still say half the reason Cena got over to begin with was that you could tell that he was one of the few people on the show coming up with his own shit. As soon as he stopped rapping and WWE started micromanaging him, that’s when the crowd started turning on him.

[@croatiankid6595]

I like the dr of thugonimcs gimmick more then the current cena the heel cena was fun in the middle 2000s

[@lau6927]

@@croatiankid6595 agreed.

[@abubakarsiddik3227]

I was a young kid at that time so I loved cena. And I know if that happened now I would have booed too lol. But I will thank him to make my childhood awesome

[@Triumph._.]

@@croatiankid6595 See me, that's the Cena I remember most and liked. And that Cena didnt even seem heel to me. He seemed more like a Steve Austin to me. Seemed like a natural evolution of his thuganomics gimmick. The kind of champion who wasn't afraid to fight, and talked shit. Chain gang "I'm a bad man" "you want some? COME GET SOME" cena. What killed that was WWE turning PG if you ask me.

[@croatiankid6595]

@@Triumph._. the throwback jersey wearing cena was that dude my fav feuds was vs bad ass taker and Eddie Guerrero

[@coryshannon3815]

While we never really got a heel Cena in WWE, his matches against RVD at ONS 2006 and Punk at MITB 2011 did give us a good sight of Cena being a heel, and getting to see him take on the role instead of being flustered and out of his element.

[@thomasdr08]

I loved that storyline. I loved how the ECW fans genuinely disliked him, but loved the matches. Nothing better than getting a round of applause for solid sequences in the Hardcore Arena

[@thomasdr08]

I loved that storyline. I loved how the ECW fans genuinely disliked him, but loved the matches. Nothing better than getting a round of applause for solid sequences in the Hardcore Arena

[@johnjly5295]

They forget that Cena has mentioned in numerous interviews that Vince wouldn't let him. When he came back to face Wyatt he wanted to be full blown heel.

[@jamiewalsh9184]

Thats a bullshit excuse he was by far their biggest star in the company he could have done whatever he wanted

[@ECRALSE40LPS]

@@jamiewalsh9184 I know right. It's very pointless for Cena to stay as a face plus Vince was a dumb ass to know that fans were sick of John Cena that they wanted to turn him as a heel. But anyways, I agree with John Cena should turn heel.

[@dentonkellyjr8095]

​@@jamiewalsh9184 you gotta understand that this guy was the leading man in make a wish foundations, face of the company , the top baby face and the most famous wrestler known by the largest demographic being younger people to kids, they had to factor in that stuff during his prime.

[@xellestar]

Cornette explains things really well. He's talked about some talent working 'heelish' while at the same time not doing anything *out of character* for themselves (eg during the rock hogan match) - what killed stone cold's heel turn was that it was totally out of character.

[@petebagwell6666]

Him being an asshole wasn't out of character but the running away shit was

[@Red_dead_Redemption_4_Life]

Agreed, austin heel turn was dumb and unnecessary at all

[@CactusInsane]

Once Austin shook vinces hand. All the hardcore wrestling fans left and it's been a decline since then.

[@frostbite3318]

Man don’t remind me of that Austin heel turn. I choose to believe that he shook Vince’s hand and then hit him with the stunner

[@juicyfartsofjimcornette1154]

Austin's heel turn was never going to be easy to pull off in 2001, but one thing for sure, keep Vince as far away as possible from any Austin heel angles!

[@abdurrahmanjeffdomato2974]

Jim crying when Cena rips an image of him is so funny. Travis you're the best

[@ASCUMBAGWh0re]

Eh not funny man. Didn't make me laugh. You just have a weak sense of humor

[@john-tobeymaguirecena]

Heel Cena exists in the Multiverse

[@42069LT]

Wanda killed him too

[@darkerknight7010]

Having him cheat to end the Undertaker’s streak was the best idea I’ve ever heard with regards to turning him heel.

[@Reddragon802]

Why does everyone forget Cenas Heel run AS the doctor of thuganomics. It was so good. And underrated.

[@brianbenoit6883]

Well, he did do some heelish promos but at the same time, he appealed to the crowd wearing the hometown jerseys and getting them to chime in on his raps. Add to that, that at the time, babyfaces and heels kind of got obscured, the whole NWO thing had started a trend of cheering the so called 'heels' because they were 'cooler'. By the way, you inspired me to go back and look at some of his stuff...DO NOT air any of that today...people will be calling for him to get 'cancelled'.

[@lawrencericho3635]

Idk bro, idk

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

his dr of thuganomics made me realize that its kind of good we never got a heel cena, it would have been watered down compared to that, and you should hear some of his pitches for his heel attire, it was bad

[@rajakghosh6602]

Cena as a babyface sold much merchandise in the kids segment, had huge a wish foundation and WWE was presented as a family friendly product. So as a business decision wise and not wrestling move wise it would've been unprofitable.

[@walruswasrob]

That was reason enough to not pull the trigger on the heel turn. That said, I think it was Chris Hero, who was in WWE developmental at the time, that said that they WERE going to turn John heel during the Wrestlemania 28 match against the Rock. How close were they? The company made new wrestling gear for John’s heel character. But someone (Vince, maybe?) got cold feet and he stayed a face. (Cena gave the unused gear to FCW)

[@SmoothGorilla]

@@walruswasrob and cena recorded a new song for his heel run but never used it

[@deepvoicedude4749]

Roman as a heel sells the most merchandise in the industry right now.

[@FirstLast-yh7gj]

What proof is there that turning a face heel would be unprofitable? I've never understood this logic especially if said guy is popular af

[@LeeLee-db8kd]

English

[@Amos_Huclkeberry]

He turned heel early in his career, he was "The Doctor of Thuganomics".

[@heelguyproductions204]

You know I always enjoy hearing Jim cornette talk about Wrestling stuff because he knows what he's talking about and he also put stuff in perspective.

[@jairusdavis3619]

Ok

[@HellScryer]

Yeah his politics is another story.

[@Briansgate]

@@HellScryer Yep. Love Corny and all, but damn his politics are ridiculous.

[@HellScryer]

@@Briansgate I’m not a big fan of trump or the GOP but yeah I haven’t heard him ONCE in the 2 years I’ve listened to him ever say anything bad about Biden or the Dems. It’s shocking but I don’t hate him because of it. You can tell he only gets his info from one or few sources on the happenings in this country

[@bigpasty1582]

Man I am rolling😂😂😂 cornette doing ads and breaking down the magazines and quiz questions is the funniest shit I've heard in a while

[@TorresBoxing]

Great analysis! Wow, I never looked at Cena through this perspective. He’s real and genuine but also a super hero to so many fans. People would have been disappointed and never would have trusted him the same way if he went back to a face.

[@thecastleofenlightenment2604]

If he turned heel he would have to stay heel till he retired

[@josephjames2011]

WOW! i loved the ENTIRE SECOND HALF of the video where its an ad for a mattress!

[@abubakarsiddik3227]

Yes, I was one of those kids he catered and to me they were real, so if cena turned i really would have been betrayed. He really hit it at the nail

[@zaodedong9935]

Some friends of mine met him at a gas station in Clearwater Florida. They were able to get pictures with him, and they said he was a really cool guy.

[@abubakarsiddik3227]

@@zaodedong9935 ohh man that's awesome, always love when people get to experience things like this.

[@tyroneg.3819]

He was a heel as "Prototype," and when he was feuding with Rikishi, Undertaker; Eddie Guerrero and Brock Lesnar in ('03), technically Brock Lesnar, he was getting ready to turn then as part of a Survivor Series Team Member on Team Lesnar or Team Angle, they teased a heel turn in '06 after ECW One Night Stand Promo; where he split the crowd reactions in two, in '07 when he nearly choked out William Regal upon Randy Orton calling him out for not wrestling good, then in 2010 with the Nexus Angle and the feud with the Rock (2011-2013); in between other programs.

[@Hizzoner21]

I could've sworn his Thuganomics run was initially heel. It just so happened that the fans eventually gravitated towards it.

[@hps69]

He briefly feuded with Benoit in '03 as a heel around the same time as Lesnar.

[@Eagles2020]

He wasn’t the Prototype when he feuded with Brock, Rikishi, or Eddie. He was the master of thuganomics back then

[@davyjones2032]

He was a heel to half the crowd anyway. He is one of the modern pioneers of dueling chants. I'm sure if crowds weren't as engaged in his matches they might have made changes.

[@tyroneg.3819]

@@Eagles2020 I know he wasn't the Prototype when he feuded with Brock Lesnar, I know the history he was the Prototype in OVW and feuded with other wrestlers in OVW before he came to WWE.

[@israeloagiledintlhe4166]

Fun fact: All the OVW 4 guys used their real names in the WWE...

[@toddysocks]

5 if you want to include Shelton as part of that class.

[@israeloagiledintlhe4166]

@@toddysocks Surprising right?? He was the most athletic, talented of all of them, only if he had the personality to match all of that😢

[@The2KXperience]

I know I'm going to sound like a fanboy for saying this, but this is honestly the best argument I've ever heard on the "should Cena have turned heel" debate. And when I say argument, I mean Cornette arguing that Cena never turning was the right move. Beyond the standard Make a Wish argument, I was really surprised how much I found myself agreeing with Corny as he laid out his ideas and compared Cena to Hogan, Austin, even Flair and the Von Erichs. Corny remains one of the best minds in wrestling with some of the most insightful commentary you'll ever hear when it comes to the business of professional wrestling. Call me a fanboy all you want.

[@randallrigney420]

Fanboy!! Just kidding ✌️

[@joeytocd]

The easiest way to turn John heel in 2012, was to say the fans turned on him. They did. They turned on him when the Rock came back, and he realized that despite all that he stood for, all the selfless contributions he made, it was never enough for an audience that didn't really care. That he was always going to be set aside anytime they had another shiny toy to play with, which incidentally would've helped cement Punk as a true face of the company, leading to another feud between the two with roles reversed, to show how much everything changed. You could even portray him as a heel who still stands for the same things he stood for as a babyface, but now through the lens of unrepentant hypocrisy and sanctimony. The closest thing I can think of is Superman in the Injustice games. Or even Bryan in 2019 as the planet's champion. Something along those lines.

[@pleaseshutup7053]

Beautiful story

[@WaynesWorld12]

I read this shit like damn spitting hella heat right now.

[@nickash-crisler5773]

I always thought the same thing. Cena as the "blind to his own bs" heel could have been something (i.e. "Can't you see I'm doing this for all of you?"). The worst bad guy of all is the bad guy who doesn't realize that he's the bad guy.

[@desisdosis473]

basically like Bret Hart in 97 but with underage fans instead of Canada.

[@nickash-crisler5773]

@@desisdosis473 Essentially, yes. The only difference being wheras Bret insulted the American fans, John with his usual passion would tell the adults things like "You're just not seeing the big picture". He's just trying to get them on board. It reminds me of every time Jim talks about the creative meetings where Vince would come up with some shitty gimmick, and even when they were alone, Bruce Pritchard would still be trying to sell Corny on whatever said shitty gimmick was. "You just gotta buy into it, Corny", or whatever he would say.

[@leonardoportillo8478]

"20 years later he's still wearing the shorts" had to pause cause I almost died of laughter

[@mickeymojito]

This makes you appreciate how great Roman is at being a heel . We all know Roman is a good guy in real life , family man and cancer survivor who also does a lot of charity work , yet he’s still so convincing at being the cowardly arrogant Tribal Chief

[@GG-bi8tb]

this only proves cena could've turned heel the same way he's a company guy that people learned to respect but still liked to boo

[@davidholzer4155]

he's not cowardly he's a badass and an asshole. Not every heel is a coward. You can't really call Lesnar a coward when he's a heel

[@darkmuzition]

Like the reverse of Hogan…To me Hogan behind the scenes was always a heel…I’ve heard countless stories about his selfishness

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

@@GG-bi8tb cena's heel turn might have not been as good as romans, once you hear cena's ideas for his heel turn pitch

[@the007mw]

The entire ending where Jim is pluggin Helix is hilarious, he buggin out 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@prestone.garrison4430]

He did turn heel...literally with his foot years ago.

[@royalty843]

The firefly funhouse match tells Cena's story

[@desisdosis473]

From Bray Wyatts point of view.

[@royalty843]

@@desisdosis473 it also correlates why cena didn't turn heel like bray wanted. Im sure Bray and John put alot of thoughts of showing Johns inner demons.

[@JDotWill]

Cena was getting ready to turn heel in 2012 I want to say. He had new gear made & everything but they didn’t pull the trigger so he gave the gear to talent in FCW

[@moralesharold87]

He was ready for it during the Rock feud, even had a new theme and all. But Vince got cold feet and said no.

[@josephjames2011]

Nobody like a 9 minute ad in a 15 minute video . i quote the Great Bryan Last '"will you stop it"

[@MilMaska]

"Hey I’m not nervous cause you got this weird fetish with but ts. I’m scared because your favourite food is sausage and nu ts!” - John Cena

[@dmel26]

As the company went public it just made sense to have Cena stay the babyface and represent everything the company needs him to represent in order to make the additional deals they wanted. And he'll never put the reason on Vince in any way so that answer he gave saying he wanted to stay face for the make a wish to me just sounds like the answer Cena would give as the loyal company man he is to take any heat away from anyone above him. And there's nothing wrong with that bc they gave him the platform for him to be set for life after doing what he loves to do.

[@davidbuthlay4368]

Jim’s understanding of GQ magazine 😂😂😂

[@DaveTheBunny]

Cornette saying Cena could have been Ric Flair without the bad habits is probably the single biggest piece of praise I've ever heard him give any single wrestler.

[@SupermanHopkins]

Helix Mattress has to be going "WTF????" 😄🤣

[@TheRonbratton1]

LoL 😂

[@TakeNoteOfThat]

I’m like a chiropractor I’ll break your back. So you’re a Deadman? Well I’m a necrophiliac! Word Life!” - Heel John Cena, 2003

[@shutup2751]

it's a hit and miss if they did, many children and their parents could lose interest in wwe and they'd lose lots of revenue as a result

[@FirstLast-yh7gj]

naw

[@steveomac385]

Or it would have created a wrestling boom like when Hogan turned.

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

That ended up happening anyway.

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

his heel turn needed to happen in ruthless aggression era, pg era version would have been watered down and corny

[@ics94]

Cena didn't need to turn. For a big chunk of the audience he was a heel by nature of destroying their favorite guys.

[@keithyw]

i really enjoyed this discussion on Cena. It took a while before I warmed up to Cena and now looking back I'm actually glad he didn't turn heel. I'm very glad that Corny and Brian tried to compare Cena with Hogan because that was one of the most obvious parallels that came to mind. And I think the way they laid out how there are similarities because of the superman/hero qualities of both guys, the real thing with Hogan was how stale his act got and the fact that Hogan in reality was just playing the role of the Hulkster rather than being the Hulkster after a certain point. Sure, he did the Make-A-Wish stuff too but right around the early 90s, his act was dying fast. More importantly, I think the stuff behind the scenes was a ticking time bomb for him as someone that people could see being the same person on and off the screen. In the case of Cena, his creed/mantra was something you could believe in and that he seemed to believe in (whereas the vitamins that Hulk took were very special vitamins that became a black eye for the industry and him). And though we got Super Cena that got his share of hate, he was smart enough not to take it personally and embrace it. He put people over unlike Hogan whose reputation behind the scenes became more exposed. In fact, because Cena never turned, he has a real legacy of being consistent, which is rare for wrestlers these days since everyone ends up turning every few weeks. I think bringing up Austin as the real comparison and talking about how he embraced McMahon killed his character/business is quite interesting. Obviously, will always be Austin and he's cemented his legacy. And I could see Austin thinking, "Well I need to freshen up too." But the idea of consistency in an inconsistent business where people want to believe in something that isn't considered real is key. In Cena's case, the whole motivation of his character is for the kids. With all the bad things going on in the world these days (especially in the WWE), you really need positive role models especially when you're at that level.

[@brettrossi034]

Hogan was also a huge anomaly. It's not everyday that a huge Babyface turned heel still is so hot on merch sales and fan support. People still loved NWO despite being heels and sold a fuck ton of merch

[@paulwinstanley904]

I wish you would of elaborated a bit more…

[@martyveefx]

is nobody not talking about Jim's advertisment for helix mattresses towards the end of this video? hahahaha "get that nut in" lmao

[@anthonynorman7545]

That ad segment was AMAZING!

[@TheRonbratton1]

Lol 😂 I glad I’m not the only one best “promo” ever

[@omnientertainment5852]

So glad that Cornett brought up the fact that Cana was a heel starting out in the WWE.

[@danielburger1775]

Cornetet

[@mf289]

Pretty sure the original dr of thuganomics was originally heel.

[@ronlitton9885]

You should hear the manager at John Cena’s Beach Shop ! His name is Tom Hanks, not the famous one…

[@MrLunch4dinner]

Cornette went way off script with the advertisement at the end. Love it!

[@over9000so]

A lot of ppl in comments lost 🤔😂 for da ppl who kno 🤑

[@gjfwang]

Make-a-wish is a good reason not to turn heel but the main thing was that Cena was still pushing merchandise and the business was good enough not to mess with it.

[@ChaoticComedy]

Wow what you said about Austin Hugging Vince was so True. You hit it right on the head as usual Jim!

[@kenjinuma]

I feel like he could have been heel only to the ECW crowd and it would have worked. The closest weve ever got to Heel Cena was One Night Stand 2006 and it was fantastic. Look at Lawler, he was only Heel to ECW in the latter part of his life and it was hilarious and great.

[@gregharper6382]

The hogan comparison is an accurate one! Cena became pretty stale with Loads of people! I’ll give you the merchandise and make a wish part but as far his favor with fans it definitely went down!

[@KnucklesWTD]

You mean marks not fans

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

@@KnucklesWTD he was kinda stale at that time tbh

[@Wooderz245]

When Hogan turned, the bloom was very much already off the Hulkamania rose. John Cena was never stale, he just had a vocal group of fans that didn't like the way John was being pushed down their throats, same way they react to anyone that the office starts to get behind. Internet fans will always find a reason to hate WWE whether it's good, bad or indifferent so WWE has no incentive to try and appease them because they'll just turn on that too.

[@yasirukavinda5404]

John cena got stale, boring that is why he get booed out of the building.

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

I watched wwe from around 2011 at that time, and cena did get stale, since like 2012 or 2013 when he won the titles off of the rock, we knew what we were getting already, and it flopped, him dropping it to daniel bryan was cool though

[@tatvela6915]

What? People believed in Hogan. That’s why the crowd went berserk when he turned

[@samkoch1038]

Here for the signature Cornette stutter/groan after hearing a question

[@michelledavidson8190]

Love the commercials as much as the content 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@appreciatelife1009]

There were numerous occasions where it made sense to turn Cena heel in the "Super Cena" era: 1. Beating RVD at One Night Stand 2006 2. Double turn with Edge at Unforgiven 2006 3. Beating CM Punk at Money in the Bank 2011 4. When he beat Rey Mysterio for the WWE title the same night he won the belt 5. In his rematch with the Rock at Mania (similar to Stone Cold's turn at Mania X-Seven but better) 6. Bringing back the Authority after he banished them at Survivor Series 2014

[@Taurean_Black]

You forgot when he had the feud with bray Wyatt when the fans choose him to face all of them and he was in the ring crying and asking why would they do that

[@sirnetflix7162]

Eh beating RVD at ONS 2006 while it would have been a memorable heel turn, would have been the wrong time to do it. The story going into it of ECW taking home the big world title was too good to have RVD lose, and since they wanted RVD to carry the ECW brand, they couldn't have him lose. Plus, it wouldn't have been as hype for Rob to win it later unless it was Wrestlemania which would have been nearly a full year later.

[@subxzero10000]

Short sighted ideas

[@nathanhosea489]

The one at Unforgiven 2006 was very, very close to happening. He was supposed to lose the match, move to SmackDown and turn heel. Sadly Vince got cold feet and cancelled it at the last second

[@ok2smokeganja]

Cena definitely was a heel as the dr of thuganomics

[@MrRaydennis1980]

Did not see the mattress segue coming lmao

[@JDotWill]

If my memory is correct Cena was a heel for most of, if not all, of 2003. He turned babyface sometime in 04 & never looked back

[@yoitsSmitty2004]

Cena turned face when team lesnar attacked him in 2003, after that and survivor series he became more popular and loved then he started getting massive pops in 2004, he won most popular wrestler of the year in 04

[@juicyfartsofjimcornette1154]

Knowing Cena, he would do an angle with Tyler Seth Rollins Black where Seth uses Becky Lynch as a meat shield to deflect Cena's blows, then when Seth escapes the building, Cena takes his frustrations out on Becky until she's bleeding pints! And of course, you do an angle where Michael Cole f's over Cena so badly, then escapes the arena before Cena can get him, causing Cena to say, take his frustrations out on Lacey Evans by jumping her from behind and brutalize her, New Jack style to Lacey's Mass Transit as Lacey bleeds Bill Goldberg limo levels!

[@TheJosephPrice]

Cena turning heel would’ve been bad for their image at the time.

[@auroman302]

OMG, this is probably the only podcast where I look forward to the commercials. 😂😂😂 The dynamic is reminiscent of Bobby The Brain going nuts and Gorilla Monsoon (Lass playing the straight man). Love it! 🤣👍

[@hessiankyojin]

18:55 I see you with the George Carlin material there, Jim. :)

[@t.y.7562]

John Cena was a Heel when he had that knee injury from Brock Lesnar. This was during his " Basic Thuganomics " stint. Watch the Word Life DVD

[@CryptoTalkRadio]

Heel Cena flaunting with Heel Nikki Bella on his arm and "This Is How We Roll" theme = legit Heat.

[@NickRaymond871]

He should’ve turned heel against The Rock at WM28 in Miami. It would’ve helped make the rematch at WM29 make more sense.

[@constablekennedy7705]

Agreed

[@NickWuebker]

Or the other way around and turns at WM29 to beat Rock and get his win back after what was called the worst year in his career.

[@ajdaking507]

There's no way to make the rematch make sense if you bill the first encounter as once in the lifetime and "something that'll never happen again..." Either Bill it as "Once in a lifetime" and only do it once. Or just don't bill it as once in a lifetime

[@Johnnysox9]

I love how much Corny loves broadcasting and doing business in general. He enjoys making up his ad spots as much as anything he does, the last 5+ minutes on this clip is a promo for mattresses. Talk about giving a sponsor their money’s worth. 😆

[@LoPhatKao]

people love his ad spots so much theres an omnibus episode of nothing but ads listened to every minute of it at least twice :)

[@adamrobinette6832]

His heel work when he first got over was epic and by far his best work.

[@Andrew-gk6bn]

Exactly! thats why he got over in the first place. Then they made him a fake marine and it seems fake. I know Jim will never bad mouth him but Cena comes off as the most fake person. Everyone is looking at this in hindsight. He's was booed since 2006 ratings dropped, and yes he sold merch but like CM Punk said he had one shirt and Cena had 20 shirts with 20 different colors. A heel turn would have been huge for the wrestling business when it was pretty bad in the early 2010s late 00s. Him turning heel could have made a new top level babyface.

[@ravenlit]

How do any of these companies sponsor Jim with the crazy rants he goes on with the ad spots? Gotta love Cornette.

[@kevinc5705]

Plot twist, he was never allowed to do it in the ring so he did it in real life by becoming Jong xina.

[@aj_3259]

Need a omnibus of pure advertisements

[@TylerG13]

ONS 2006 perfectly showed it. Heel Cena would’ve been completely unmatched. The way he worked that sucker ECW crowd will never be replicated. He had them eating out of the palm of his hand with every little thing he did. When he gave RVD the 5 knuckle shuffle, he shook his dick out and then came off the ropes in the most cartoonish way possible. It’s honestly one of the best heel performances I’ve ever seen.

[@futuregootecks]

Great analysis, love the mind of cornette!!

[@gerryrr93]

Cenas 20 year never ending push is what killed the business, everyone stopped watching when it started to take 3 finishers to beat him The exaggerated facial expressions He was forced down our throats thats why the company is now where it is All the 90s 2000s fans gave up

[@JohnSmith-wh2ob]

Nonsense that’s not what killed wrestling to blame the guy that carried the business after rock and Austin is a joke to say the least

[@gerryrr93]

@@JohnSmith-wh2ob when business was great in the past they said its cause you had hogan, Austin, rock When business went down they said don't blame cena What they did was backed a man who was like a cartoon character who could sell tshirts and toys short term to lose loyal fans who bought PPVs dvds etc long term 🤷‍♂️

[@JohnSmith-wh2ob]

@@gerryrr93 it’s not entirely cena’s fault because the business itself changed they went PG and became a publicly traded company and started these anti bully and make a wish campaigns it’s not all ohhh Cena was top dog then so because business went down compared to the highest heights it’s ever reached ever well it’s gotta be his fault when it’s not

[@gerryrr93]

@@JohnSmith-wh2ob yeah obviously benoit is probably the biggest turning point, but I just think he was forced down people's throats too much, 20 year olds didn't want to still see someone hulking up in 2005

[@JohnSmith-wh2ob]

@@gerryrr93 I can understand that but notice the amount of appreciation Cena has gotten the last 3 years when he’s comeback it’s almost universally acknowledged it was fun to hate but he was the man in wwe both in and out of the ring and he’s the true definition of you don’t know how good you have it until you don’t have it anymore

[@OVO-Adolf]

The difference between Austin turning and Cena turning is that if Cena does it he’ll look cool, when Austin did it he looked weak.

[@TylerG13]

That is the best ad I’ve ever heard in my fucking life.

[@vetdad1807]

Before even listening I'll stay that my perspective was John Cena WAS a heel already. People despised him and paid to see their favorites beat him. I'll delete the comment if Jim makes that point but it's just always been how I thought about it. He was only really a babyface in name only, because that was WWE's narrative.

[@davyjones2032]

I think he was both. His matches always got a great reaction regardless. So he was a face in how he acted and half the crowd reaction but also a heel since he was dominant and often cheesy so other half booed. He literally had casual, hardcore, and neckbeards invested in his matches. Not many were able to do that consistently and certainly not for a decade.

[@vetdad1807]

@@davyjones2032 Yeah exactly but he most definitely fulfilled a heel role for a lot of fans, no point ever turning him. Another hot take on John Cena: While he wasn't as big as Rock or Austin ever were, for the people who always gripe about "ring work" John was DAMN good. Better than Rock or Austin ever were.

[@desisdosis473]

​@@vetdad1807 No, Cena was never a heel. The only time he "played" the role of a antagonist you could call a "heel" was during the Firefly Funhouse match which was basically a hallucination so I dont know if that counts.

[@davyjones2032]

@@desisdosis473 he said fulfilled a heel role which I'm presuming he is referring to outside of kayfabe. Meaning the smart fans booed him and hoped he would lose.

[@davyjones2032]

@@vetdad1807 Austin prior to his injury people would say was a very good technical wrestler. Regardless Austin and Rock both sold you on their characters. Technical wrestlers are respected and at times break through but it's character that usually reigns. Only once people get older they try and change history and complain about lack of in ring with Goldberg being biggest example.

[@michaeltortorice9876]

I don't even remember the Cena content after that ad. It's getting so the ads are almost better than the stories.

[@johnscroogle6484]

The mattress is the new magic spoon

[@johnmcbride3784]

Jim Cornette GQ stands for Gentlemen's Quarterly not Golfer's Quarterly.

[@lovelywaz]

I just came across this today and even tho Jim Cornette made some valid points WHY it was not a good move to turn Cena heel at that time, or ever. He completely ignored WHY it would've been better to turn him. For the start, it would've freshened up his extremely boring and stale run at that time, and it would've also given other wrestlers to actually become relevant and not just Cena being the Superman while others were held down (not his fault) forever. And most importantly, they could (and perhaps would have) created another baby face for the merch, house shows, make a wish etc.. etc.. you name it. I would go on to say, the so called "excuse" of him being the ultimate babyface for kids is THE WORST reason to keep him babyface. Why not create more babyfaces, give others chance to shine up and freshen up the overall product rather than keeping it same old crap year after year? Hell, CM Punk was selling as much merch (maybe even more at some point) than Cena while being heel.

[@mmurph]

Nobody wants to acknowledge that the Dr of Thuganomics was a heel character.

[@mrffendiman2900]

You will get a what on helix sleep mattress😂😂😂

[@lfkk4640]

His Thuganomics run started as a heel. He should've brought out Bull Buchanan on Raw. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@teastrainer3604]

He beat too many good wrestlers cleanly on television. I think that's what people hated. How many times did he beat Chris Jericho? Cena should have lost more, by getting cheated by the heels. Also, every match was the same. He'd get the crap beaten out of him until the last moment, then would come back and win cleanly.

[@AxeDharme]

That and the stipulations meant fucking nothing. They did a big hue and cry about Cena having to leave the WWE for (some storyline with Wade Barrett I think it was) and then he returned the very fucking next week 🙄🙄

[@markthehammer3448]

I think Cena's character was every bit as stale as Hogan's. He was being booed in every arena by everyone but seven year olds. Meanwhile, Cena's presence was holding back the progression of many wrestlers deserving much more attention than they were receiving directly because of Cena.

[@markthehammer3448]

@fleshnbone187 Agreed. From a wrestling perspective, the best thing the WWE would have done for Cena was turn him heel. His character and his momentum as a star was dead long before he turned part time. It's what the fans wanted, but the WWE and John Cena both didn't care about that. Meanwhile, they held many other wrestlers down while continuing to prop up Cena and his untouchable good guy image that no one wanted to see. It was tough to watch, and it's the reason I stopped watching WWE, and I really never returned.

[@rojayreid908]

@@markthehammer3448 Cena wanted to turn heel

[@markthehammer3448]

@@rojayreid908 When did he say that? All I've ever seen proof of is the opposite.

[@rojayreid908]

@@markthehammer3448 He said it in multiple interviews.

[@markthehammer3448]

@@rojayreid908 Please link. Either way, if he really wanted to turn then he would have. The fans wanted him to, and if he wanted to he would have. No one had the power John Cena had when he was in his prime. At the end of the day, the only reason he never did was because he never pulled the trigger.

[@abrahamramirez8536]

I hope everyone has a wonderful day 😊

[@SharkAlien66]

Don't tell me how to live my life! 😜

[@abrahamramirez8536]

@@SharkAlien66 won't happen again 🤥😊😆

[@robpettigrew3308]

Thanks. You to

[@Myndir]

@@robpettigrew3308 My day is going grate.

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

Trash.

[@darylcatpiss]

I came for the story, stayed for the amazing advertising spot

[@sayheyguy]

He had flashes of being a heel with his Dr of Thuganomics gimmick, he was insulting baby faces as well in his raps and did some heelish tactics in the ring

[@theonlygoodonehere2259]

thats bc he was...

[@Maxx_d13]

Roman reigns is playing his best character as a heel that the fans like but will boo out of respect (mixed with cheers) he’s the longest reigning champion as a heel and they could have done this with Cena during his career. Fans love their heels and Stone Cold started it by being a bad ass who was always a heel and the fans just loved the badass! Edge, Flair, HHH, Sid, HBK, Taker, Orton, Angle, Christian, Punk, and many more, wild get cheered while playing the heel (not on their babyface time after being a long time heel

[@RichboyJhae]

bruh Cornette mistaking GQ for golf quarterly is the funniest shit ever

[@timewithoutconsequence4611]

Frank Reynolds and the gang gave him the shorts. But you can’t wear them all the time.

[@azazaeldevile2506]

I wonder if Cena's gonna keep wearing shorts and t shirt in his 50s

[@gaming4life788]

He wears at it 45 he ain't far from 50.

[@myhandlewastaken]

Could have been the next Flair but instead became the first Cena. I'd say it worked out.

[@BabyGangstaDick]

Exactly keep an identity for yourself

[@lovecraftianleviathan8918]

Corny, _please do a video where you fantasy book a Cena heel turn!!!_ Just make sure to set it 10-ish years ago when there were still some interesting people for him to feud with and take his place as top face (Punk and Bryan, mainly)!

[@mackdee911h3]

It's always funny when Brian has to stop to tell Jim "hey, come on, now"

[@RisingRecluse]

I hate ads but I love how Cornettes sneaks them in like a diamond cutter you didn't see coming.

[@tommyb8374]

Yes! I was hoping for a heel turn!

[@chadhoganlive]

Yes

[@TheRonbratton1]

At 16:10 am I the only person who about died when he said you’ll get a nut on a helix mattress. I had to rew. 10 secs just to make sure I heard what I though I did.

[@ericgilbert56]

Yes... It was the Halloween party where he dressed like Vanilla Ice....

[@ksdnsdkumar1375]

@14:18 I love Cornette blur the lines between his video content and product placements.

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

Most of Carlin's stand up specials are on YT.

[@JGilbert11]

Another great Helix spot can't wait for another omnibus with this year's spots

[@browngaymethodistjesuschri1361]

This is the best ad segment I’ve ever heard 😭

[@justinsayswtf]

My favorite thing is Jim casually slandering and defaming people or companies as Brian immediately goes into damage control mode.

[@kayskreed]

They missed their opportunity for sure. Heel =! less popular, or less merchandise sold. Just look at how Reigns has been embraced as a heel, after years of a failed underdog babyface push. Heck, it even worked for Hogan. Hogan, like him or hate him, was a top babyface in the 80s/early 90s, but his turn in the later 90s and the arrival of the NWO was one of the biggest revolutions in wrestling history--and it was incredibly popular and well known, even to non wrestling fans. I can't imagine how many NWO t-shirts were sold during that time period.

[@steveomac385]

They're still selling shitloads of them.

[@emiliodominguez9045]

This is when jim should take the time to impersonate Dusty " it will never be ova it will never be ova babe "