Hulk Hogan Say WWE Star Would Have Made 'One Of The Hottest Heels Ever'

The fact that John Cena — aside from his early run as the "Doctor of Thuganomics" — never portrayed a heel persona remains one of the biggest "what ifs" in WWE history. And if there's one wrestler who can relate to a babyface character getting stale, it's Hulk Hogan, who donned the same red and yellow colors for over 13 years — between 1983 to 1996 — until WCW pulled the trigger on his heel turn. 

Considering Hogan's heel turn proved to be the catalyst for the industry-altering Monday Night Wars, fans have always wondered what a Cena character shift could have amounted to. In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Hogan was asked about Vince McMahon nixing Cena's heel turn for his match against The Rock at WrestleMania 28, and whether Cena would have been just as effective a heel as "Hollywood Hogan" was. 

"He would be one of the hottest heels ever," Hogan said of Cena. "And then, whether it's six months, six years, or two years when you repent and beg for forgiveness, he'd be hotter than he was before as a babyface. It's a natural flow that, once you get the vibe out there, John would be in a better position to know [if the heel turn is working] than Vince [McMahon]." 

Later in the interview, Hogan revealed that WWE pitched an idea for him to wrestle his farewell match against Cena at WrestleMania 25, but those plans fell through when he reaggravated his back injury.

"My back went out when I was talking to Vince on the phone," Hogan recalled. "I just had back surgery number three or four at that time, and I had to go right in immediately and get cut up."

Hogan's final WWE match took place against Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2006. He would subsequently wrestle several matches for TNA.