Steve Austin Reacts to John Cena’s Heel Turn, Addresses WrestleMania 41 Status – WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently weighed in on John Cena’s shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber: Toronto and addressed his status for WrestleMania 41 weekend in Las Vegas.
Speaking in recent interviews, Austin acknowledged that Cena’s turn had been a long time coming and praised how it was executed. He also questioned whether Cena’s turn was a full-fledged heel move or if it could ultimately make him more popular.
Austin on Cena’s Heel Turn
Austin was asked whether Cena needed to turn heel at this stage in his career.
“Yeah, well, you know, sooner or later, you gotta happen. It finally happens. I know it’s pretty cool.”
Austin then clarified his stance, saying:
“No, I think it needed to happen. I mean, I wonder, did he turn heel, or is he gonna turn more babyface? Because, I mean, I liked what he did, you know. So it’d be interesting to see what they follow that up with. But, I mean, it’s a road to WrestleMania, to ramping things up.”
Austin praised Cena’s contributions outside the ring and noted that the timing of the turn was impactful:
“John’s done so many great things, you know, away from wrestling….who would ever see that coming? And, you know, the time was when they did it, and it seemed like it was received with a lot of acclaim and attention. No, I thought the heel turn was interesting. We’ll see how it goes. And John’s a great guy and a smart guy, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we shake out.”
Austin’s WrestleMania 41 Status
Austin confirmed that he will be in Las Vegas during WrestleMania 41 weekend, though he hasn’t had any discussions with WWE about an appearance at the event.
“Well, I have some appearances. You know, I will be in town, so, you know, I hadn’t talked with WWE or anything like that. But, you know, I’ll be around.”
Could Austin Help Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania?
When asked if he could get involved in Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship match against The Rock, Austin downplayed any involvement:
“Hey, I haven’t been in contact with anybody, so I guess anything could happen. But I’m here to run the Mint 400, and that’s what my sights are set on. I’m not looking to Mania. I’m looking to the Mint 400. I got a brand new left knee, trying here to—this my first race back. So I’m gonna go out there and kick ass and see if I can do as well as I can.”
While Austin isn’t ruling anything out, it appears his focus is on his off-road racing commitments rather than a potential WrestleMania return. However, with WrestleMania season in full swing, surprises are always possible.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Adrian Hernandez of Unlikely and The Schmo with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
Steve Austin Reacts to John Cena’s Heel Turn, Addresses WrestleMania 41 Status
