Eric Bischoff on John Cena’s WWE Heel Turn: “It Wasn’t the Reaction That Hulk Hogan Got”

​During the 2025 WWE Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event, John Cena shocked fans by turning heel against Cody Rhodes and aligning with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. This move drew parallels to Hulk Hogan's 1996 heel turn in WCW. On his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff discussed these comparisons, stating, "Different time, different—everything was different."

“Different time, different—everything was different. Here’s the thing, though—structurally, let’s reverse engineer this. If we go back and watch the turn, the moment—the kick to the balls. Before that, if you go back, The Rock did the slit-throat thing, the whole thing. If you watch it play out, and when it’s all over, watch the people standing around the ring. Got a great reaction, don’t get me wrong—it wasn’t the reaction that Hogan got.”

“If you go back, put those two finishes side by side—forget about what’s going on inside of the ring, just watch the crowd. Oh yeah, and then there’s all the garbage that came with the crowd [in WCW]. The reaction to Hogan’s turn on an emotional scale of 1 to 10 was probably a nine. I think on an emotional scale, the Cena turn was probably around an eight, maybe seven and a half.”

“What it comes down to, Conrad, is shocking—no one expected it. I don’t think I heard any chatter. Now, granted, I’ve been busy the last few weeks, busier than usual, and I haven’t stayed close to what’s going on in wrestling… But I just don’t think this will get the kind of reaction that the Hogan turn did.”

“I don’t think it’s as big as the Hogan turn in terms of overall impact. I agree with whoever made the comment. But it’s not because it wasn’t extremely well done—it’s just because of the timing. The audience’s taste is different. It’s bigger, for sure, but it’s different. Just like it is for movies and television.”