Dwayne Johnson and John Cena’s rivalry, which kicked off a full year before WrestleMania 28, was one of the best WWE storylines of all time. Johnson returned to the ring in 2011 after taking a break from WWE for his Hollywood career. He went up against WWE’s poster boy, John Cena, and hurtful words were exchanged between the two.
While Johnson is known for his slander talk, it was Cena who surprised everyone with harsh remarks and comebacks. The Cenation Leader has recently traded time in the WWE ring for his movies or shows, but he feuded with Johnson for that exact same thing. Cena called out Johnson for abandoning the company. He shared in the past (via Bleacher Report):
The truth is that Dwayne Johnson is a great actor and I think always wanted to be an actor, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s like an athlete saying, ‘Hey, I don’t do drugs,’ and then getting busted for drugs. Here’s a guy who said he was WWE through and through, and then the first chance to take a road to a different career path, he took it.
Cena also shared that he cheapened the phrase, “Oh, I love this business.” In another interview, Cena shared, “He just doesn’t give anything back to the business. I wish he would just show up. Just say hi and leave. That’s all he’s gotta do” (via @stanleygraps / X).
However, Johnson returned to the ring and gave plenty back during WrestleMania 40. It became Peacock’s most-watched broadcast in history with 1.3 billion minutes of viewing (via Deadline). Johnson took a break from Hollywood to participate in a three-month-long storyline leading up to the show of all shows.
Most notably, his rivalry and WrestleMania match with Cody Rhodes made the latter into a WWE superstar, who could carry the company in the foreseeable future. In that aspect, Cena’s earlier assessment was definitely wrong.
Cena apologized to Johnson for his comments. In his 2023 interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he shared, “I got selfish and me — living WWE at the point and not having any concept of growth or someone else’s perspective — I took Dwayne’s comments [about the business] as not genuine.”
He called himself a hypocrite for not realizing Johnson’s perspective. He shared, “My view was if you love something, be there everyday. Like, what a hypocrite I am, because I still love WWE and I can’t go all the time. And I just didn’t see that. I was so selfish.” He shared that he regretted how he handled the situation with Johnson during WrestleMania 28.
Dwayne Johnson and John Cena’s Feud Ahead of WrestleMania 28
Dwayne Johnson and John Cena’s rivalry started way back in 2011 when The Rock returned to WWE after a seven-year hiatus to host WrestleMania 27. Johnson made fun of Cena and his catchphrase “You Can’t See Me” during the event.
Johnson and Cena first fought each other in the WrestleMania Go Home episode of Raw, where Cena defeated The Rock with an Attitude Adjustment move. Johnson would return his due in the WrestleMania 27 main event, when he interfered in the match between The Miz and Cena, costing the latter his WWE Championship.
Their rivalry led to the duo booking a headline match at WrestleMania 28 almost a year before the event. Johnson was thrown off his game when Cena called him out for writing promo notes on his wrist. While the stars had quite the war of words between them ever since Johnson appeared at WrestleMania 27, this incident turned things intense between them.
Cena managed to get under Johnson’s skin by exposing his secret. In a promo, a few weeks later, The Rock confronted Cena with some angry words. Cena proved too quick-witted for Johnson. The Rock told him, “At his core, The Rock is 6’4” 260lbs of man that will rip your throat out”. He also called Cena “The Rock’s b*tch.” However, Cena kept staring at him with a smile on his face.
Johnson was probably triggered and shared off the mic to Cena, “F**king punk.” Cena pulled off another stunt by pulling down his wristband and writing what The Rock said on his wrists. The interaction was the perfect setup for the ‘Once in a Lifetime’ match between them at WrestleMania 28.
While Cena brought some great punches in the ring, it was a match that belonged to The Rock from the beginning. However, their feud was far from over. Cena took back the WWE Championship from The Rock at the next year’s event, which many fans thought was an unnecessary sequel match.
Cena opened up about the incident during an appearance on A&E’s WWE Rivals, where the rivalry between The Rock and Cena was covered in Season 2 Episode 3. The Peacemaker star recalled how the storyline took another direction when an unnamed star pointed out Johnson’s secret notes on his wrist. He shared on the episode:
Rock doing his thing with me going out to interrupt him. And 90 seconds before my music hit, someone to not be named said, ‘yo, do you see that?’ I said, ‘see what?’ [the other person said] ‘I think Rock has something written on his wrist. Everyone was like, ‘Yooo!’ because that’s just not allowed.
Cena decided to use it to his advantage, which many considered to be a bold move. After the promo, Big Show told Cena backstage, “Hey. Big set of balls on you, buddy.” He also received praise from his fellow wrestlers. Former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz shared in the episode that it created a “disconnect” between the two stars.
When Cena appeared on Logan Paul‘s Impaulsive podcast, he shared that it was an unnecessary move and was “f**king stupid”. He shared:
The guy was probably going a million different directions, had just flown in from god-knows where and just wanted to do the best he can. I don’t blame him for that, I blame myself for taking advantage of that.
The popular rivals returned to WrestleMania 40 last year. Johnson, who appeared to support Roman Reigns, easily took out Cena, who made a guest appearance to back Cody Rhodes. However, the match and the title eventually went to Rhodes.
John Cena’s Current Relationship With Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson teamed up with John Cena during his heel turn ahead of WrestleMania 41 this year. The People’s Champion was instrumental in setting up Cena’s storyline with Cody Rhodes, but his continued absence after the Elimination Chamber frustrated many fans. The Rock was a no-show at WrestleMania, which disappointed many fans, especially after the underwhelming nature of the show.
Ahead of the SummerSlam this year, John Cena reverted to his babyface persona. He was clearly not enjoying the heel persona and even thanked Cody Rhodes for making him realize what he was doing for the past few months. In the process, he might also have taken a dig at The Rock. He shared, “That was just the boot in the a** that I needed” (via Yahoo! Sports). He further shared:
For 20 years, day in and day out, I have forged a reputation off of hard work, honesty, and respect. And I now realize that five months ago, I flushed it all down the toilet, chasing false glory when I bought into somebody’s crazy idea to make shocking TV.
He further took a dig at The Rock during the promo, saying how some people abandoned and left him all alone to pretend something he is not. He shared, “And the people that were supposed to be on my team – they left. And they left me alone, trying to pretend to be something I’m not.”
WE ARE SO BACK!!!
Thank YOU, @JohnCena! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/HDBrf4LrrZ
When Johnson appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, he explained that he didn’t want to continue his involvement in the storyline. He shared that the goal was to set up Cena to become a heel champion. He shared that he didn’t want the spotlight on him during the match. He told McAfee:
We’ve established this idea of Cody [Rhodes’] soul. We can always come back to it. I did feel, I made the call, I don’t want to be involved in that. Let ‘The Final Boss’ step back into the shadows. Let all the spotlight go to John, let it go to Cody. Let’s not make it about Cody’s soul or John’s soul. Let’s let them do what they do.
He shared that he called Cena and Rhodes after the Elimination Chamber match and told them that his role is over. He felt that they had created the biggest angle since Hulk Hogan’s heel turn in the ’90s and wanted Cena and Rhodes to build on that.
Will John Cena Take on The Rock in His Retirement Match?
Earlier, John Cena shared that he will retire in mid-December, and Boston-based news station WCVB reported that the match will be held on December 13. However, what if The Rock appears to challenge Cena during this last match?
Johnson, who had been absent for the most part of the year, might step into the ring finally to face off with Cena. Some fans even suggested that Cena would postpone his retirement until WrestleMania 42, where he will face off with Johnson. According to fans, this would be an epic send-off for the Peacemaker star.
IMAGING THIS SCENARIO :
December 13th, the night Cena retires…
After an emotional match, Cena grabs the mic, delivers a heartfelt farewell speech, and thanks the fans for riding with him all these years.
But just as he’s about to leave…
The Rock’s music hits!
Rock steps… pic.twitter.com/4RVYwCMCkE
However, John Cena’s off-screen retirement remarks make Cena vs. Rock a thin possibility. During an interview with ExtraTV, Cena shared that he was physically hurt and was completely exhausted. He reassured that he would still be associated with the sport after his retirement. He also shared that the emotions will set in December when he finally retires. He shared (via FadeAwayMedia/X):
My back hurts. My arms hurt. My body’s hurt. Painful. I think the emotion will set in when it’s all over in December.
He recently opened up about the reason why he was leaving WWE. He shared with Stephanie McMahon on her podcast, “A schedule like I was doing in 2013 would destroy me right now. It will ruin me and ruin my relationship, and that’s the tip of my spear. So I gotta close a chapter, that’s it.”
Fans are still awaiting The Rock’s return to the ring. If any part of the above-mentioned theory makes it to the storyline, The Rock could easily redeem himself for his past mistakes.
What do you think of the John Cena vs The Rock rivalry in WWE? Let us know in the comments below!
