Eric Bischoff Explains Why He Gave John Cena’s Retirement Tour a “C” Grade

Eric Bischoff isn’t holding back when it comes to his thoughts on John Cena’s farewell run in WWE.

On a recent episode of 83 Weeks, the former WCW President gave Cena’s ongoing retirement tour a flat “C” grade—blaming the rocky start for derailing what could’ve been an all-time sendoff.

Bischoff took issue with how Cena’s retirement arc began, referencing the heel turn at Elimination Chamber where Cena aligned with The Rock. Fans rejected the twist almost immediately, and Cena would later return to being a babyface before dropping the WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam.

“I’d give it a C,” he said. “Now, if you take the heel turn or whatever that was, take that out and just look at the rest of it, probably a B, maybe an A- or a B. It’s been pretty good, except for the way it started.”

Advertising

Advertising

He explained that bad beginnings are hard to recover from, likening it to checking out of a movie too early—even if the ending eventually delivers.

“The heel turn attempt, it’s like the end of the movie ended up being pretty good, but you got up and walked out mentally or emotionally during the first 15 minutes of the movie, because it just didn’t make any sense. It’s hard to get it back.”

Bischoff also commented on Cena’s recent decisive loss to Brock Lesnar at WrestlePalooza, making it clear that the creative only works if it’s part of a bigger story.

“If this story going forward is a redemption story, I love redemption stories, they always work for me. If it’s not the case, and it was just what they did that night, that would be worrisome to me.”

In the end, Bischoff believes fans don’t want to see their heroes fall flat. They want to see them ride off into the sunset, not crash and burn.

“Give everybody what they want is to see the guy go out on top. Everybody would love to see Babe Ruth hit his last home run. Nobody wants to see Babe Ruth strike out.”

John Cena’s retirement tour is set to conclude at a Saturday Night’s Main Event special in December 2025, but the debate over how it’s being handled continues to divide fans and insiders alike.