Both John Cena and Dwayne Johnson have successfully transitioned from WWE to acting careers. Before Cena made the jump, though, he had problems with Johnson’s career pivot. Cena frequently accused Johnson of turning his back on the WWE in favor of a film career. In recent years, Cena has apologized to Johnson for his comments, realizing they were both disrespectful and hypocritical.
JOHN CENA CRITICIZED DWAYNE JOHNSON FOR BECOMING AN ACTOR
In the early 2010s, Cena asserted his belief that Johnson’s pivot to acting was a slight to the WWE. Though Johnson eventually announced his return to the WWE, Cena believed he prioritized his acting career.
“Finally The Rock came back and everyone was was getting with it ’till he said I was talking trash but he would never be specific,” Cena said in a rap, per CBS News. “It’s because I wasn’t talking trash, Rock, I was talking truth. You left us hanging high and dry to play a fairy with a tooth?”
Refusing to take the slight on his 2010 film Tooth Fairy lying down, Johnson responded directly to Cena’s comments.
“I’m about to spit something stupid,” he said. “It all started with you, John Cena, publicly running your mouth about me, calling me a liar when I say I love the WWE.”
JOHN CENA HAS APOLOGIZED TO DWAYNE JOHNSON SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE YEARS
Eventually, of course, Cena began an acting career of his own, giving him an increased understanding of Johnson’s decision. He now looks at his comments as hypocritical.
“I went about it the wrong way,” Cena said at a press conference for WWE Fastlane (via NME). “I violated his trust and I made allegations about his perspective that I knew nothing about. And deep down, I was a fan. I wanted The Rock back [in WWE]. I wanted to do anything to get The Rock back, but I did it the wrong way.”
He explained that while he cringes at his comments about Johnson, he sees their feud as a learning experience.
“I didn’t do it the respectful way, so I had to eat a little bit of crow,” he said. “I had to say, ‘I’m sorry and I was wrong,’ because I am sorry and I was wrong, and that’s a very humbling experience. Dwayne is a hell of a guy … I became who I despised. I see that perspective and I understand it. It was a great learning experience from my mistake with feuding with The Rock.”
WHAT OTHER WWE STARS HAVE BECOME ACTORS?
Cena and Johnson have become movie stars, but they are far from the only WWE stars who have acted in films. Dave Bautista is another WWE success story, picking up minor acting roles before hitting it big in movies like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and Dune.
Other WWE stars who have acted include Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Jesse Ventura, and André the Giant.
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