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Wrestling veteran Bruce Prichard recently shared that if it were up to him, he would have booked a major WWE Superstar to turn heel a long time ago. The five-time United States Champion being discussed here is John Cena.
The Cenation Leader was the face of the company for over a decade before he transitioned to Hollywood. Since turning babyface early on in his career, the 47-year-old never portrayed a villainous character on WWE TV. He was seemingly set to embrace his dark side while feuding with The Rock in 2012 but it never materialized.
On his Something to Wrestle podcast, Prichard was asked whether he would have pulled the trigger on John Cena's heel turn in his prime years. The WWE personality responded:
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"I would have done it. I understand why we didn't, but I would have done it (...) But I think timing being what it was and or is, if the timing were right, I think that it could have worked. We are beyond the point of (...) no return. So there's no way that the audience would ever take him as a heel right now."
The 61-year-old WWE veteran added that neither Vince McMahon nor The Cenation Leader turned down the idea, but it was a collective business decision.
"No, I think it was everybody from the standpoint of when you look at what he meant to the company and what his brand was to everything. To Make-A-Wish, to being the guy, the media darling that he was, and to the audience, merch, every single aspect of the business told you, 'Do not turn him heel.' It wasn't a good business decision," Prichard said. [4:24 - 5:31]
Check out the full video below.
John Cena made a surprise appearance at WWE WrestleMania 40
The 16-time WWE World Champion appeared at this year's Showcase of the Immortals during Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns' Bloodline Rules match. Cena came to even the odds when Solo Sikoa and The Tribal Chief outnumbered The American Nightmare.
The 47-year-old legend first took out Reigns with an Attitude Adjustment before sending The Enforcer crashing through the Spanish announce table. Moreover, fans went on a trip down memory lane after The Rock and John Cena came face-to-face.
The Final Boss ultimately took out Cena with a massive Rock Bottom. Cena also appeared on the RAW after 'Mania, where he teamed up with R-Truth and The Miz to defeat The Judgment Day.
Please credit the Something to Wrestle podcast, and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use quotes from this article.
