John Cena Deeply Regrets Feuding With Dwayne Johnson About Hollywood Ambitions

While John Cena and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson were adversaries in the heyday of their World Wrestling Entertainment careers, the wrestling icons' real-life feud outside the ring when Johnson pursued acting full-time is something Cena has come to regret.

During a press conference for the WWE Fastlane event in Indianapolis covered by Variety, Cena confronted his past issues with Johnson, who began his big transition to Hollywood in 2001 as the Scorpion King in the blockbuster action fantasy, "The Mummy Returns." Since then, Johnson has become one of the movie industry's most bankable stars thanks to his roles in the "Fast & Furious" franchise, the "Jumanji" reboot films, and the Oscar-nominated animated feature "Moana."

At the press conference, Cena owned up to the hypocrisy of being upset at Johnson for his showbiz career because he's essentially followed the same career path. In one ironic move, Cena joined the "Fast & Furious 9" cast after Johnson seemingly vacated the franchise for good.

"If you've been following what I've tried to do, especially as of late, publicly and personally to Dwayne Johnson, I've stated that although I thought I was trying to do what's best for business, I went about it the wrong way," he told reporters. "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."

As John Cena alluded to at the press conference, this isn't the first time he's expressed regret over his feud with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. In August 2021, Cena had some genuinely warm remarks about Johnson, and in May 2023, he addressed his relationship with the actor again.

"I would like to think in my perspective that we always have been good, except for one little patch [from 2011 to 2013] where I really messed up," he told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "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 as not genuine. My view was, if you love something, be there every day. 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."

Even with his past atonements, the specter of the "Peacemaker" and "The Suicide Squad" star's contentious past with Johnson has not completely vanished. Discussing his past beef with Johnson, Cena told reporters at the press conference, "I didn't do it the respectful way, so I had to eat a little bit of crow. 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."

Cena then praised his former WWE nemesis and admitted his own faults. "Dwayne is a hell of a guy ... I became who I despised," he said. "I see that perspective and I understand it. It was a great learning experience from my mistake with feuding with The Rock."

John Cena's career in film began about five years after Johnson's debut movie role with his lead turn in the 2006 action-comedy drama "The Marine," which was produced by WWE Studios. Since then, Cena has appeared in such hit films as "Daddy's Home 2" and "Bumblebee," as well as the 2023 summer blockbuster "Barbie" as Merman Ken.

While his career has alternated between Hollywood and the WWE since then, it appears that once the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved, acting will be his priority. During the WWE Fastlane press conference, Cena explained the potential harm of continuing his wrestling career while working in film and TV. "I made it perfectly clear you can't do both because of the liability insurance," he said. "If I were trying to juggle both that's very selfish because I'd put a whole lot of people in the movie business out of work if something happened to me." 

Cena currently has eight projects in development, so there will be plenty of work for him in front of the camera once the actor's strike is over. Cena said he was in the middle of one of the projects when the strike started, and the sudden work stoppage allowed him to return to the WWE.

"As soon as we get back to work, we go back to work. I don't control any of that," he said. "I'm crossing my fingers and hoping we can find a resolve that everyone is happy with. For right now, I think this is the best way I can help ... by coming home to my family."