WWE made John Cena mistake that WCW avoided with Hulk Hogan, Vince Russo says (Exclusive)

John Cena's long-awaited WWE heel turn prompted comparisons with Hulk Hogan's character change at WCW Bash at the Beach 1996. According to veteran writer Vince Russo, WWE should have followed the same formula as WCW after Cena's shocking Elimination Chamber moment.

Hogan became a member of the dominant nWo faction alongside Kevin Nash and Scott Hall after turning his back on WCW fans. Almost three decades later, Cena defeated Cody Rhodes to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41. However, his celebration was short-lived after Randy Orton attacked him on the post-WrestleMania episode of RAW.

Russo spoke to host Dr. Chris Featherstone on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo about WWE's latest storylines. Using Hogan's heel turn as an example, he questioned why Cena was booked to look weak a day after winning a record-breaking 17th World Championship.

"Guys, think about this," Russo said. "If you think I'm just bellyaching about WWE, and I'm not, just ask yourself this question, when Hogan turned heel and became the nWo, did he get laid out the next night? No, bro. No, he did not. After Hogan turned nWo, Hogan was up for quite a while." [2:22 – 2:51]

Watch the video above to hear Russo explain how The Rock and Triple H's rumored tension has affected WWE's product.

Vince Russo on WWE damaging John Cena's heel persona

On May 10, John Cena will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton at Backlash. The event will take place in The Viper's hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

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According to Vince Russo, WWE's creative team caused Cena to lose momentum by booking Orton to RKO him on the April 21 episode of RAW:

"So, I had a big issue with you're putting all this heat on Cena, and less than 24 hours later, you're taking the heat off of Cena? I don't understand that, bro. I would have never, ever booked it that way." [2:51 – 3:10]

Orton is widely viewed as one of John Cena's greatest opponents. The legendary rivals have not faced each other one-on-one since 2017.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart