“Cold Stone” Steve Austin referred to John Cena's recent WWE heel flip as "a breath of fresh air" and compared it to his own difficult character change. When Austin appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, he praised Cena's long history with WWE and said he was happy with the way he turned into a villain at the 2025 Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event.
Steve Austin Statements
Austin considered his experience after notably turning heel at WrestleMania 17 by siding with Vince McMahon and beating The Rock for the WWF Championship. Austin said:
“John had an incredible journey, and I'm thrilled to see what he's doing and where he's headed at the moment. It's refreshing for me to see him as a heel.”
“It wasn't necessary for me to attempt to turn heel. When we tried to force it, it didn't work. John did things in a way that I believe is appropriate.”
One of the most debated moments in WWE history is still Austin's heel turn in 2001. Fans found it challenging to accept the change because of his enormous popularity at the time. After the 2001 Survivor Series, Austin returned to his role as a face character after a short time as a villain. The company hardly ever brought up the plot point again in later seasons.
Is Steve Austin interested in playing one more match?
When asked if he had considered doing one more match, Steve Austin gave fans the impression that he had moved on from the idea of wrestling and that he no longer saw it as a possibility. However, he did say that he would still make appearances in the WWE and probably give some Stone Cold Stunners when he did. He stated:
“No, that isn't something I consider. Over time, I've kind of moved on. I want to be the greatest at everything, so don't get me wrong, I have a competitive side that sort of translates into my racing. You continue to return and watch the men and women compete in the WWE ring, convinced that I could have given Kevin Owens a bit more than I did.”
John Cena's Plan Pitched As He Threatens To End Wrestling
As the next round of John Cena's retirement tour begins, a more permanent partnership may be in the works. Cena is one step closer to fulfilling his promise to destroy professional wrestling after defeating Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania to win his 17th World Championship.
In the final moments of the encounter, Cena jumped on an interruption from Travis Scott, who made another appearance inside a WWE ring after his involvement with The Rock at Elimination Chamber. It was reported that there is a proposal for Travis Scott and John Cena to collaborate on a tag team later this year. Nothing specific at this time.