Wrestling Changed Hulk Hogan And Ric Flair

John Cena believes the demanding nature of the professional wrestling business played a significant role in shaping the personal lives of Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair.

During a recent appearance on What Now? with Trevor Noah, the 17-time WWE World Champion was asked about Hogan and Flair, specifically whether the two wrestling legends changed over the years or were simply misunderstood by the public.

Cena explained that the situation is more complicated, particularly when considering the era in which both men became stars.

“I think it’s more complex than that. I think as performers in a day and age where they sold it as a shoot, or as real, these are real fights, the personalities had less time away from the personality,” Cena said.

He went on to discuss the demanding travel schedules wrestlers faced during WWE’s national expansion in the 1980s, noting that performers spent much of their lives portraying their on-screen characters.

“And keep in mind, in the globalization of wrestling, when Vince McMahon took over in the early ’80s, the schedule was arduous. I’m talking 30 days on, seven days off. 30 days on, seven days off or less.”

Cena continued, explaining how those circumstances made it increasingly difficult for performers such as Hogan and Flair to separate their real identities from their wrestling personas.

“And you’re doing your own promotion. So you spend more time as the IP than you do as a human. This is why when you talk to Ric Flair, whom I love and respect, even on his doc, ‘Richard Fliehr is dead. I’m Ric Flair.’ Hogan, Terry [Bollea], he went away a while ago. Like, ‘I’m Hulk.’”

According to Cena, maintaining the illusion that professional wrestling was legitimate competition required performers to remain committed to their characters even when they weren’t inside the ring.

“So when it’s supposed to be real, you got these guys who are trying to convince fans to come in the building and see them, and they assume the role, and it’s really tough to shut the switch off.”

Cena also reflected on wrestling’s evolution from presenting itself as a legitimate sport to openly embracing its identity as entertainment.

While acknowledging that the transition presented challenges, Cena believes the connection between performers and audiences has remained a constant throughout wrestling history.

“But the audience has always been rabid, whether they thought it was real or they know that they’re coming to a show. Wrestling has always been filmed, shot, consumed as the audience is just as important as the performer, whether you know it or not,” Cena said.

He compared the importance of wrestling crowds to the passionate atmosphere surrounding European football, emphasizing how much audience participation contributes to the overall presentation.

“We want them to keep being as rowdy as you can because if we perform to apathetic silence, it’s really just kind of two guys in their underwear doing stunts.”

Cena has frequently spoken about the evolution of professional wrestling throughout his career, having experienced the industry’s transition into a more openly entertainment-focused product during his time as WWE’s top star.

Also during the interview, John Cena explained why he believes the WWE change to the PG Era ultimately paid off for the company in the long run.