By James Caldwell, PWTorch.com assistant editor

WWE World Hvt. champion John Cena thinks very highly of Randy Orton, who he worked with when they both broke into the wrestling business in the early 2000's. Orton and Cena, who wrestled as "The Prototype," were home-grown stars from WWE's developmental territory at the time, Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Fast-forward nearly a decade later and Cena believes Randy Orton is the best wrestler of the current generation of WWE stars.

"I've said this before and I said this before his - what is this, his fifth or sixth 'breakout?' - that he is the best guy we've got," Cena said. "He is certainly the best performer of my generation."

Cena says he has heard the talk about whether he should turn heel when a vocal minority of WWE fans continue to boo him at WWE shows. Cena says he's in a position right now where it's simply up to the audience.

"Where I'm at right now, there is no good guy or bad guy," Cena said to Kevin Eck in the Baltimore Sun while apparently channeling TNA's Vince Russo. "I can just be me, with certain little adjustments to my character, I guess, that makes me a 'good guy' or a 'bad guy.'

He says the people who will be the ultimate judge of his character's characteristics are the ticket-buying fans.

"When they get sick and tired of me, they're going to turn on me," Cena said. "And when they turn on me, I've openly shown in situations where I get booed that I can turn on them back."

Caldwell's Analysis: Very interesting to read about Cena's openness to a heel turn down the road. I imagine he could really become one of the top heels in the modern-era of pro wrestling, rivaling Chris Jericho's 2008 campaign, if the turn were handled correctly. He has so much material to work with from four years of anti-Cena hate in WWE audiences, so it will be interesting to see if WWE ever pulls the trigger when he's such a hero to the kids and to the female audience, which makes up 25-30 percent of the Raw viewing demo on a weekly basis.

Link: Cena interview with Kevin Eck.

READ MORE: Cena Part 1 - Cuts a promo on The Rock.

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