Mick Foley on John Cena heel turn: Both good and bad

Until it actually happens, a John Cena heel turn is going to be one of the most heavily debated topics in all of professional wrestling.

WWE legend Mick Foley was recently asked by our friend Arda Ocal of The Score about his thoughts on the situation and "The Hardcore Legend" provides an answer that essentially explains the how and why the powers that be struggle to go through with actually pulling the trigger.

"There's one part of me that would like to see him really turn and turn it on. But I think what would happen is the moment he did that, and I speak from experience from being in ECW, is that the people who hated him would then start to hate him less. And then he would also lose the very, very real love that part of the audience has for him. I don't know what they're going to do but I think it makes for a great television show. It's extremely interesting and I give him a lot of credit. It used to be, once fans started to cheer a heel, that person would be turned or they started to boo a good guy, that that person would be turned. Everybody, I think, has come out the better for not having rushed that type of action."

The fear amongst those who make such decisions is exactly as Foley explains. Once Cena turns, the fans who have been booing him so relentlessly would suddenly lose their luster. The opposite applies for the folks who have been cheering him and stayed loyal for all this time.

Essentially, the two sides would just swap.

The problem with that is heels don't sell merchandise and the crowd that would suddenly get behind him aren't likely to start a new trend. Those that are currently sporting all Cena's gear would suddenly want nothing to do with it.

The tradeoff, of course, would be increased interest in the product, meaning better television ratings and more pay-per-view buys. But the current climate of pro wrestling doesn't really dictate that that's something they could ever count on, nor is it something that would be likely to happen.

So we're back to Cena just being who he is and everyone cheering or booing as they see fit.

Hear more from Foley after the jump, as he discusses how laughably bad the "John Cena, This is Your Life" segment was and, of course, coming back for one more match.