Steve Austin revisited one of the most debated moments of his career, his WWE WrestleMania 17 heel turn, and offered his perspective on why he believes John Cena won’t share similar regrets about his own recent turn to the dark side.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Austin confirmed his long-held feelings about the 2001 decision.Austin wished he hadn’t turned heel by aligning with Vince McMahon to defeat The Rock.
“Yeah, man, if I could go back in a time machine, I would have told Vince, ‘Hey, man, we used him. He helped me interfere, beat the hell out of Rock with that chair’,” Austin recalled. “It was very physical… I’d have called that audible, and I told Vince, after it’s all said and done, ‘watch a stunner.’ I’d have dropped him on that stack of dimes he called a neck. And I would have stayed a baby face.”
However, Austin offered a different prediction when host Helwani asked if Cena might eventually regret his WrestleMania 41 heel turn.
“Regarding John Cena. Man. I love what Cena is doing. I love the way a guy talks his promos, where he’s going with it,” Austin stated. “I know some people think differently, but I like the ride that he’s taken me on because I’m invested in John Cena. I’ve watched him for a long time. He’s a class act.”
Austin believes Cena’s motivations differ from his own back in 2001. He attributes Cena’s current run to a passion for the business at this stage of his successful career.
“I think he’s going to look back and love what he’s doing, because he loves the business, and I think he truly enjoys it,” Austin continued. “He loves it so much that at this stage of his life… he’s only doing this because he loves it that much, and he wants to take the people on another ride and a ride that they haven’t been on yet, and it’s warranted and deserved.”