John Cena Talks 2003 Face Turn, Older Audience Booing Him

Top-tier WWE stars have been doing media rounds to promote “The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!” film, a collaboration between WWE and “Flintstones.” Part of the media rounds saw John Cena sit down with USA Today. Within the interview, Cena discussed his change of character through the years, and what has come of it.

The man once known as “The Doctor of Thuganomics” discussed his babyface turn in 2003, coming out of WWE’s esteemed “Attitude Era:”

“I looked around and saw who was sitting in the audience and said, ‘You know what, I proactively need to change.’ And it was for the greater good.”

One of WWE’s most decorated champions discussed the effect of his turn, and how the older members of the WWE Universe jeer him:

“I totally get it. I don’t necessarily spend my time watching programs that 6- to 10-year-old kids enjoy, so I get the need for different racy comedy and story lines. But at the same time I don’t want to offend anyone in our audience so I do what I do to the best of my ability, and I actually really enjoy being able to be a real-life superhero and an aspirational character both in live entertainment and animation films like Flintstones.”

“It gives you a feeling of self-worth at the end of the day. It becomes more than just a job — you feel as if you’re affecting lives and that truly is pretty important.”

Check out the entire piece, here. Cena also spoke in-depth about his role in the WWE Flintstones project and the impact he has had on people’s lives.