Tossing Salt Presents:
Wrestling Fact or Fiction
Heel Turn Edition
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Welcome to the show. It’s Wrestling Fact or Fiction. I’m Doug and this is what one would call a very special edition. It’s all about the heel turns. Yes, the Rock & Soul Connection has everyone talking. Thanks to Jake Chambers of 411Mania.com for the statements and concept. And the opinions? That’s all me. Let’s do this.

Statement #1: John Cena had the best heel turn of all time at Elimination Chamber.

FICTION: Of the past decade, for sure. But the statement says ‘all time’ and that’s where the Cena turn-on Cody loses some steam. When I think of all time, I think of Hogan and the nWo. I think of Andre/Hogan. I think of Ole Anderson/Dusty Rhodes. I think of Zbyszko/Bruno. Will we still be talking about Cena/Cody 40 years from now, as we do some of the feuds I mentioned? I seriously doubt it. It was a big moment for sure but of all time? Nope, it’s not even close.

Statement #2: The WrestleMania 41 live audience will boo “heel” John Cena.

FICTION: Cena will get lots of boos, but it has nothing to do with the heel turn. It’s simply for being John Cena and the “Let’s Go Cena/Cena sucks!” chants are a hallmark of WWE audiences for the past decade. Cena as a heel will only increase his support as it’s the cool thing to do, and wrestling fans are forever the most fickle in the world. Plus, factor in Cody’s burnout, which is real and growing stronger every day. When Mania arrives, both men will be cheered. Both men will be booed. It’ll be a mixed reaction for both, as it probably should be.

Statement #3: Cena’s run will be so good this year that he actually won’t really retire.

FACT: Does anyone every truly retire from wrestling? Cena promised to retire, but he’s a heel and do heels ever do what they promised? Cena sells tickets and merchandise, and TKO knows this. Cena will never be a full-time wrestler again, but so long as the money keeps flowing, he’ll keep finding a reason to stick around for one more match.

Statement #4: The “Who attacked Jade Cargill” storyline is a good one.

FICTION: I lost interest in it mere days after it happened, and the longer it took to resolve the issue, the less interest I continued to have. The big reveal just lacks fire, inspiration, or common sense in my opinion. On paper, it was a good story and had some legs, but in actual execution, it has neither. I’m ready for this story to go away so we can just move on to Jade versus Bianca, as we all know where it’s heading.

Statement #5: You were excited to see the Hardy Boys back in a WWE (adjacent) ring in NXT.

FACT: Matt & Jeff Hardy are WWE, and in a WWE ring, even if it says NXT on the apron, is where they belong. I’ve never been the biggest Hardy fan, but they add to the product and are an asset for any promotion they work with. And WWE is where they belong as they wind down their in-ring careers. It’s just that simple.

Statement #6: The Sami Zayn / Kevin Owens feud peaked long before their Unsanctioned Match at Elimination Chamber.

FACT: While the Sami/KO feud is always fun to see and entertaining, the rose is off the bloom and the longer it goes, the more, ‘can we just get it over with’, it becomes. I’d rather see Kevin fighting Randy, Jimmy Uso, or LA Knight. I’d rather see Sami fighting Gunther or Judgment Day. By the time we finally got around to the Unsanctioned Match, I was bored and had no interest. The match was solid, but I was just ready to move on.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. And thanks again to Jake Chambers at 411Mania.com for letting me borrow his toys for a few minutes. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. And I guess that’s all for me. Take care, my friends, and stay well. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!