During his interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, John Cena revealed that he pitched using a controversial and historically significant maneuver as a new finisher for his 2025 farewell tour: the “heart punch.” Cena explained that as he entered his final year of competition at age 48, he was looking for ways to adapt his in-ring style to match his physical capabilities while still offering something new to the audience.
“I’ve leaned on what strength I have left. I’ve leaned on the wisdom I have and some of the tricks I’ve learned,” Cena said. “Knowing a confident why for all the matches… and especially being told like, hey from this point on, we need you to give her a little bit. We need you to get into it more”.
However, the specific idea of the heart punch was quickly shot down by WWE’s creative team. “That whole heart punch idea you had, it’s probably not going to work,” Cena recalled being told.
Cena accepted the decision without resistance, adjusting his performance accordingly. “Okay, let’s go. You know, I think I can ride this out,” he said.
The History of the Heart Punch
The move Cena pitched carries a dark and legendary reputation in professional wrestling history. The “heart punch” is a strike delivered to the opponent’s chest, theoretically targeting the heart to cause temporary cardiac arrest or unconsciousness. While simple in execution, the move became infamous in the 1970s due to its association with legitimate tragedies—both real and kayfabe.
Ox Baker and the “Killer” Reputation
The most notorious practitioner of the heart punch was Ox Baker, a menacing heel known for his shaved head and thick mustache. Baker’s use of the move became legendary following the death of wrestler Alberto Torres in 1971. During a match in Nebraska, Torres collapsed after receiving the heart punch and died shortly after. While the official cause of death was a ruptured appendix (or pancreas, depending on the account), the wrestling promotion used the tragedy to build Baker’s terrifying aura, claiming his punch had killed Torres.
The legend grew in 1972 when another wrestler, Ray Gunkel, died following a match with Baker in Georgia. Gunkel suffered a heart attack, reportedly due to arteriosclerosis and the physical exertion of the match (and a large meal beforehand), but the “Heart Punch” was once again blamed in storyline to cement Baker as a “killer”. This reputation sparked genuine riots, including a famous incident in Cleveland in 1974.
Stan Stasiak
Another famous user of the move was Stan “The Man” Stasiak, who briefly held the WWWF (now WWE) Championship in 1973. Stasiak used the heart punch as his primary finisher, helping to establish it as a credible threat in the territory era.
Previous Experimentation: The Lightning Fist
This isn’t the first time Cena has tried to introduce a strike-based finisher. In 2018, during a hiatus to film a movie with Jackie Chan in China, Cena debuted the “Lightning Fist” (Shǎndiàn Quántóu). This move, a theatrical backfist strike, was developed with the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and was used during live events and at Super Show-Down in Australia. Unlike the heart punch, the Lightning Fist was played partly for comedy and spectacle, fitting the lighter tone of Cena’s character at the time.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
