In WWE circuits, John Cena and Dwayne Johnson’s rivalry is iconic, and their off-screen gripe with each other even more so. However, once again, the two megastars of the wrestling world will soon come together in WWE Rivals, and Cena has nothing but praise to shower on The Rock before the episode airs. However, his words took fans of the two by surprise since many thought that emotions will be running high after he replaced Johnson in one of the mega film franchises worth $8.4 billion.
John Cena Celebrates Dwayne Johnson
WWE Rivals is all about bringing together iconic stars and their rivalries on stage. The latest one is of John Cena and Dwayne Johnson. Taking to Twitter, Cena shared a clip about the upcoming match and praised The Rock for challenging him. The Peacemaker star said:
“I wouldnt be who I am 2day w/o @TheRock. Professionally & personally. He challenged me, demanded my best, forced me to address my flaws w/ the world watching! Respect is a core value for me…this took it to new level!”
The Rock hasn’t responded yet to his comment. Check out Cena’s original post below:
Relive this epic @WWE rivaly thru those who lived it. I wouldnt be who I am 2day w/o @TheRock. Professionally & personally. He challenged me, demanded my best, forced me to address my flaws w/ the world watching! Respect is a core value for me…this took it to new level! https://t.co/4qaKp4hP99
— John Cena (@JohnCena) March 5, 2023
This isn’t the first time John Cena has praised the Black Adam star. During a 2021 Entertainment Tonight interview, the F9 star gushed about Johnson and defended him from criticisms about not returning to WWE. He said:
“He’s earned the right not to be pressured into that choice. I can say he is a fan of the WWE. He is the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. So as a fan, do I want to see one of the greatest performers of all time step back in the WWE ring? Yeah. But in no way am I gonna call him and if I’m gonna talk to him about something, it’s not gonna try to be to get him back in the WWE ring.”
Cena’s words are interesting because once upon a time he clearly disdained The Rock for moving on to Hollywood and forgetting where he started from.
John Cena Once Called Out Dwayne Johnson For Ignoring Fans
Back in 2008, during an interview with The Sun, John Cena star accused Dwayne Johnson of not caring about wrestling anymore after becoming a Hollywood star. He said:
“This is my take on The Rock, and he’s a genuinely nice guy. I’ve met him; he’s a fantastic human being. What I kind of get peeved about, and I guess this is my flaw, my Achilles heel, I hear it every day with young talent, with mid card talent, with people aspiring to make it in this business; I hear ‘I’ve wanted to do this my whole life. Rock falls into that category. He, at one point, loved wrestling and wanted to do this all of his life. Explain to me why he can’t come back for a 15th Anniversary show or why he can’t make an appearance at Wrestlemania.”
He went on to further state that The Rock wasn’t giving anything back to the wrestling fans. As per Cena:
“To have that much admiration still, when he hasn’t been around, hasn’t been on TV, you gotta respect that from our fanbase and he just doesn’t give anything back, man. I wish he’d just show up, just say “Hi” and leave, it’s all he’s gotta do. Do the eyebrow once and get out of town. That’s one thing that sweats me.”
But Cena still backed up Johnson’s desire to be an actor and complimented the fact that his movies make money. Now, even Cena is trying to make it big in Hollywood, and in a twist of fate, he has entered the two mega franchises Johnson exited from. It’s a popular rumor that Vin Diesel brought in Cena as a direct replacement for Johnson in the Fast and Furious franchise.
The Rock left the $8.4 billion movie franchise after a total of 4 movies and one spinoff due to alleged rising on-set tension with Diesel. Also, The Suicide Squad star has now become a part of James Gunn’s DCU while Johnson has unceremoniously exited the franchise after Black Adam’s poor box-office performance. However, there is one place where the two can still be seen together- in the wrestling ring. It remains to be seen if the two will return to the world of wrestling again after WWE Rivals.
