John Cena and The Rock headlined two consecutive WrestleManias, but their rivalry is as much remembered for the real-life tension between them as the action in the ring.
In the lead-up to their first match at WrestleMania 28 promoted as “Once in a Lifetime,” Cena blasted Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson for abandoning WWE and pursuing an acting career, claiming he didn’t love wrestling or WWE.
Fast-forward to 2023 and Cena is now firmly in the “part-time era” of his career, while he also makes waves on the big screen.
Speaking with MTV News’ Josh Horowitz as part of 92NY Recanati-Kaplan Talks, Cena discussed his relationship with Johnson and a potential third WrestleMania match between them. In response to the prospect another WrestleMania match, the 16-time World Champion joked that he needs to pick up some wins before he can approach the star about another bout.
“I’m so old. I haven’t won a match in like five years. No one notices, thank you, but if you check the stats, I’m on a bit of a slump. He’s not exactly an easy opponent. I need to get somebody really easy to get another win on the board before I go knocking on The Rock’s door again.”
With regard to his earlier criticism of Johnson and their sometimes tense friendship, Cena said that he has proven to be a hypocrite, noting he’s followed the same path. He added that stars such as Johnson and Dave Bautista paved the way for him to go into Hollywood, describing his earlier comments as “short-sighted and selfish.”
“I would like to think, in my perspective, that we always have been good, except for one little patch where I really messed up. I got selfish and me, living WWE at that point, did not have any concept of growth or someone else’s perspective. I took Dwayne’s comments as not genuine, and my view was, if you love something, then be there every day.
What a hypocrite I am. Because I still love WWE, and I can’t go all the time. I just didn’t see that. I was so selfish. I had his number and we could have talked about it. Instead of going, ‘Hey, man, I’d like to try to do this thing to hook you back in and maybe we can collaborate, and really make it big,’ I was like, ‘F this,’ and was calling this dude out. This is a moment, he gave me an opening, and I’m gonna kick the door open. I was diligent, and I understand why he got upset because he’s changing the perception of the industry.
Him, Dave Bautista, they made it okay to be in WWE. WWE isn’t that carnival performer stereotype. Pro wrestlers have had that carny stereotype for so long, and these guys are breaking down barriers and shattering ceilings, and on top of that, just transcending the art form, and I just got selfish and wanted a main-event marquee match because it would better what I thought was the business. That’s so short-sighted and selfish,”
John Cena Repaired Relationship With Dwayne Johnson
Speaking elsewhere, Cena further dived into his relationship with Johnson, admitting that he had previously “violated” the star’s trust. However, he took ownership of this misstep and broke down how he made up with Johnson a year later.
H/t to Fightful