Ric Flair Compares John Cena & Hulk Hogan’s Heel Turns

Ric Flair has weighed in on John Cena’s recent heel turn, comparing it to Hulk Hogan’s iconic turn in 1996.

Hulk Hogan infamously turned heel at Bash at the Beach 1996, joining forces with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form the nWo. The turn has gone down as one of the greatest moments in pro wrestling history, taking WCW to new heights and allowing the company to gain the upper hand in the Monday Night Wars against WWE.

Almost three decades later, John Cena followed in Hogan’s footsteps at Elimination Chamber 2025. While fans had been waiting to find out if Cody Rhodes would “give his soul” to The Rock, it turned out that The Great One had other plans all along. Cena hugged Rhodes, but when Rock gave him a signal, he gave The American Nightmare a low blow and beat him bloody to end the show.

“He’s Just Not A Bad Guy” – Ric Flair On John Cena

During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ric Flair was asked to compare the two turns. While he did enjoy Cena’s, he admitted the 17-time World Champion just isn’t a bad guy.

“It’s hard to measure the two. I loved the thing with John, but the thing about John — John is Ricky Steamboat. There’s nothing bad about John. You know, some guys like Jack Brisco and Ricky Steamboat [and] Sting and all that, they just can’t be a heel. And John, as great as he is and all that, he’s just not a bad guy. He’s such a good guy.”

On the other hand, he joked that in real life Hogan could be a “prick,” and was able to make his heel turn work, just like anything else he touched.

“Anything Hulk touched worked. It is what it is. Former wrestler and agent Jay Strongbow called him the golden goose. Anything that Hulk touched worked out. He was over that much.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Flair gave an update on his health, saying that physically, he is feeling great following several serious issues, including a battle with skin cancer.

Do you think John Cena’s heel turn compares to Hulk Hogan’s? Will it last until the end of his WWE career? Let us know what you think below!

H/T to F4WOnline for the above transcription.