Dwayne Johnson, popularly known by his WWE name The Rock is considered one of the greatest performers in WWE history, both in terms of wrestling as well as his microphone abilities. The wrestler has the charisma to link with the audience, people called him the master of promo as he used catchy phrases and witty insults. Johnson’s promos were electrifying as he conveyed different emotions such as anger, humor, excitement, and frustration, which made them entertaining to watch.
However, the most electrifying athlete of all time failed to give an electrifying performance on Raw on 27th February 2012, when he stepped in the ring with John Cena. One of Cena’s lines caught the Hercules actor off-guard and he failed to recover as he had forgotten his lines, and the promo ended with an appalled expression and stammering from Dwayne Johnson.
Dwayne Johnson’s Mic Skills Didn’t Work Against John Cena
On the 27th February 2012 edition of Raw, Dwayne Johnson was doing a promo, and before Cena headed into the ring, it was evident that the Baywatch actor had notes written on his wrist. The Peacemaker actor stepped into the ring and made an inside reference that he doesn’t rely on “promo notes,” and it caught Johnson off-guard. Even though Dwayne Johnson managed to recover but his actions made the fans question the authenticity of the show.
The story behind John Cena frying up The Rock for writing his promo on his wrist makes me love that moment so much more 😭😂pic.twitter.com/DxVYt8Tjug
— Public Enemies Podcast (@TheEnemiesPE3) March 10, 2023
During the Public Enemies Podcast, John Cena stated how “90 seconds” before he stepped in stated that an anonymous person told John Cena that the 10-time world champion had “something written on his wrist.” The 12 Rounds actor is a professional and he stated everyone present backstage was shocked because “that’s just not allowed.”
Some eagle-eyed fans took a picture of the note, Dwayne Johnson scribbled on his left wrist. With a closer view, the following was allegedly written on the Rock’s wrist: KPC – KPB, Fight 4 Them, Innovator – Camo, 2 reasons, and Call out. The wrestling fans are still unsure to this date, if the ‘promo notes’ were intentionally present on the wrist of The Rock or if it was part of the plot, that would favor John Cena in the storyline.
Why did fans enjoy the rivalry between The Rock and John Cena?
The rivalry between The Rock and John Cena is enjoyed by the fans because the two wrestlers are the biggest and most popular performers in the history of WWE. Moreover, during their promos and interviews, both wrestlers take shots at each other which puts the audience on the edge of their seats, and keeps them looking forward to the stars clashing in a major pay-per-view event.
But the most important factor, that the fans enjoyed about the rivalry between The Rock and John Cena was that the storyline was based on themes such as respect, loyalty, and both wrestlers showcased different sides of the wrestling world. On one hand, John Cena is depicted as a loyal company man who has dedicated his life to wrestling, whereas the Black Adam actor is depicted as a man who used wrestling to gain fame and went to Hollywood to make movies.
Ultimately, when the matches take place both wrestlers showcased their skills, and whenever they faced each other in the ring, an enormous number of viewers are attracted to their match, as the two athletes put on a magnificent performance making the audience sit on the edge of their seats.
Source: Public Enemies | Twitter
