John Cena had big plans for his farewell runbut one idea didnt make the cut.
In a new interview with Chris Van Vliet on INSIGHT, Cena revealed that he pitched bringing back one of wrestlings most infamous and controversial finishers: the heart punch. At 48 years old and in the final year of his in-ring career, Cena said he was looking for a way to adapt to his changing physical limits while still offering something fresh.
But when he suggested using the heart punch, WWE shot the idea down fast.
Instead of pushing back, Cena rolled with it. Okay, lets go. You know, I think I can ride this out.
The heart punch has a long and dark history in pro wrestling. The move, a single strike aimed at the chest, was kayfabe said to stop the heart and knock opponents out cold. In real life, it became infamous in the 1970s when it was linkedrightly or wronglyto two tragic in-ring deaths.
Ox Baker was the most notorious user of the move. In 1971, wrestler Alberto Torres died shortly after a match in which Baker used the heart punch. Though the real cause of death was a ruptured appendix, promoters blamed the punch to build Bakers terrifying gimmick. A year later, Ray Gunkel died after a match with Baker, suffering a heart attack. Again, the heart punch was used in storyline to fuel Bakers killer personaan image so strong it once sparked a riot in Cleveland.
Stan The Man Stasiak, a former WWWF Champion, also used the move, helping solidify it as a deadly finisher during the territory era.
This isnt the first time Cena has flirted with strike-based finishers. In 2018, he introduced the Lightning Fist during his run in China filming a movie with Jackie Chan. That movea flashy backfist developed with the Jackie Chan Stunt Teamwas more comedic and theatrical, fitting Cenas lighter character tone at the time.
The heart punch, by contrast, carries a far more serious tone and a weight of history behind itsomething WWE apparently wasnt willing to gamble on, even in the hands of the companys most decorated star.
Should WWE have let John Cena bring the heart punch back for his final runor was it too risky to revive such a controversial move? Let us know in the comments.
