The Rock program against John Cena that dominated WWE the 2011–2013 lineup is one of the most profitable rivalries in wrestling history. Booking and execution left a lot to be desired, but in terms of finances, Cena and Rock sold over 3 million PPV buys. WrestleManias 27, 28 and 29 were sold on the back of this program.
The Rock returned to WWE in 2011 and during his first home promo he set his sights on John Cena, the company’s top babyface. John Cena had previously spoken in kayfabe, wondering if The Rock really liked the company. During his promo, The Rock mentioned that Cena started talking about Rock “out of the blue”. He then blasted Cena for the majority of the segment. This kicked off the dream feud between The Rock and Cena, based on real-life animosity.
The Rock Vs John Cena Dominated Three Straight WrestleManias
In early 2008, John Cena showed up for a radio interview, and when asked about his opinion of The Rock, Cena took aim at one of the biggest stars in wrestling history and said. stated that The Rock was only doing professional wrestling so he could catapult himself. to a Hollywood career.
He wondered why The Rock couldn’t make time to show up at WrestleMania or the SmackDown anniversary, and even went so far as to say The Rock saying he loved the company put him off. angry on a personal level. The floodgates opened and Cena, who was already public enemy number one in the Internet Wrestling community. He was slandered even more for speaking ill of the Great.
When The Rock showed up at the Hall of Fame ceremony in 2008, rumors began circulating that a backstage altercation had taken place between Cena and The Rock, with Rocky giving Cena a black eye. That didn’t happen, but for a time many fans were convinced the fight happened backstage and Rocky parried Cena for his cheeky comments.
When the two reunited for the WrestleMania programs, the weekly ground sheets were all about the backstage vibe. One particular promo, where Cena pointed out the promotional notes on his opponent’s wrist, led to a lot of lingering animosity. This was also apparent on camera, as the Rock was visibly agitated. For the record, the wrist line was unscripted and when The Rock arrived backstage he was furious.
Week after week, the animosity began to build and, according to The Rock, they nearly came to blows backstage during the WrestleMania season. He described the tension behind the scenes as palpable and getting really uncomfortable for a lot of people. The Rock was not happy with John Cena’s unscripted jabs but Cena himself was unhappy with the outcome of the match.
According to match referee Mike Chioda, Cena was upset that the match ended and that he was going to lose to The Rock. The Cenation leader felt he was working too hard to lose to someone who was mostly in Hollywood and that fueled the fire further. Either way, The Rock and John Cena put on a big main event the first time around, and backstage, the two megastars shared a hug.
The feud continued into the following year, but by then the animosity was pretty much resolved, as was apparent from the program. Cena, who used to criticize The Rock for not committing to the business, sang his praises of Rocky’s return and how much he loves the WWE Universe. Ironically, Cena continued to emulate The Rock’s career in Hollywood, and as of 2015 he worked part-time. Nowadays it is presented as a very special attraction.
Reflecting on the real-life rivalry, Cena admitted he spoke out of ignorance and had no idea how difficult an acting career is. The record champion then thanked his former rival and credited him with paving the way for other superstars like him. Interestingly, The Rock, during the stormy program in 2011, said the exact same thing. It took a while for Cena to figure it out, but he commends the guy for admitting that on camera and apologizing.
Nowadays, Dwayne Johnson and John Cena are good friends. The rivalry was going to be something big no matter what, but the real-life heat certainly added a little something special.