Eric Bischoff criticizes John Cena’s heel turn: "It lacked proper buildup"

John Cena's heel turn in 2025 was one of those moments designed to be etched in the collective memory of wrestling. A long-awaited change, executed on a grand stage and starring one of the most iconic figures in the history of WWE. However, not everyone was satisfied with how the story unfolded.

For Eric Bischoff, the issue was not in the immediate impact of the moment, but in everything surrounding it. From his point of view, WWE managed to surprise, but failed to generate a real emotional involvement from the viewer.

During a recent episode of 83 Weeks, Bischoff included this turn among the 'bad' moments of the year, directly labeling it as a disappointment. In his opinion, the shock worked, but it came too isolated, without a prior path preparing the audience.

The heel turn was definitely a disappointment. And what specifically disappointed me was the lack of build-up to that moment. That frozen moment with the hug and the look over the shoulder was interesting, I liked it. But I would have loved it if something had happened along the way that at least fueled my interest in seeing that something was about to happen.

Bischoff insisted that a character change of such magnitude needs a solid narrative foundation. It's not about revealing the turn ahead of time, but about sowing small doubts that make the viewer feel that something has changed, even if they don't know exactly what.

In that sense, he pointed out that slight variations in Cena's attitude, in his body language, or even in his way of expressing himself were enough to build that first act that, according to him, never came to be.

“I want to perceive that something is different, even if I don't know what. I don't want to know, just feel that there is something strange”, explained Bischoff, making it clear that mystery and discomfort are key for a major turn to have true weight.

After that period, Cena stepped away from the full-time schedule, while WWE prepares for a new era with Raw moving to Netflix in January 2026. A change of era that, according to Bischoff, would have deserved a better-crafted story for one of the biggest turns the company has attempted to tell in years.