WWE Hall Of Famer Steve Austin Comments On John Cena Heel Turn, Compares It To His Own

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin can seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of WWE fans, but the WWE Hall of Famer was a heel for a brief period in 2001. Austin first joined up with longtime rival Vince McMahon, and then joined up with the ECW/WCW Alliance. Now John Cena is following a similar path, as he aligned with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and turned his back on WWE fans in his quest to achieve a 17th world title. In a new appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Austin was asked about Cena's decision.

"John's had of a hell of a damn run...To see what John's doing and where he's going right now, I love it," Austin told Pat McAfee and his panel ahead of WrestleMania 41. "To see him as a heel is breath of fresh air to me."

Panelist Michael Cole pointed out Austin's own 2001 heel turn but the WWE Hall of Famer felt it was apples and oranges. 

"I tried to turn heel. That was something that didn't need to happen. We tried to force that and it didn't fit," Austin admitted. "I think the way John did it, I think it fits."

Cena won an Elimination Chamber match in March to earn a shot at Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, which is when Cena attacked Rhodes and turned heel, explaining that he felt he was the victim of a toxic relationship with the fans. Cena and Rhodes will face on Sunday night in the main event of night 2 of WrestleMania 41. Should Cena win, he will surpass Ric Flair for most world titles in WWE History.