John Cena admitted being ‘short-sighted’ while criticizing Dwayne Johnson for pursuing his career as an actor in Hollywood.

WWE’s two all-time greats Dwayne Johnson and John Cena had a long wrestling rivalry but behind the curtain of the wrestling company, Cena also hated The Rock for his decision to embrace the cinematic journey in Hollywood.

John Cena and Dwayne Johnson in WWE. Source: WWE

Both the wrestler-turned-actors have been legendary and established their names as icons in the industry. Johnson left WWE to pursue his career as an actor and he certainly shined on screen as well. However, Cena was not so happy about it. Well, that was before he decided to follow The Rock’s footsteps.

 

John Cena and Dwayne Johnson in WWE backstage. Source: WWE

Following Dwayne Johnson’s WWE exit to pursue his movie career, John Cena was particularly upset. The WWE superstar heavily criticized Johnson for his decision. However, Cena himself joined the glamour of Hollywood and left his wrestling career behind.

 

The Peacemaker star recently appeared in WWE and during the press conference of pay-per-view even Fast Lane, Cena apologized to Johnson for being hypocritical about it. “If you’ve been following what I’ve tried to do, especially as of late, publicly and personally to Dwayne Johnson,” Cena said in the WWE Fast Lane press conference when a reporter asked about following Johnson’s Hollywood journey. “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 added.

“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. 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.”

Cena further admitted that he “went about it the wrong way” and violated The Rock’s trust. “And I made allegations about his perspective that I knew nothing about,” he said 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.” Even earlier, Cena candidly admitted being short-sighted for criticizing Johnson.

John Cena in the Fast Lane Press Conference 2023. Source: WWE

Cena recently appeared in WWE amid the SAG-AFTRA strike and joined the main event, Fast Lane. Cena’s Hollywood schedules will resume when the strike ends. “I made it perfectly clear you can’t do both because of the liability insurance,” Cena explained. “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,” he continued in the press conference.

“I stopped a project in the middle of [the strike], and I can’t talk about it because of the strike we’re in. We’re in the middle of it. As soon as we get back to work, we go back to work. I don’t control any of that. 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.”

Obviously, Cena can’t stay in the wrestling limelight as several factors might impact his rising career as an actor. Of course, Cena’s return was a hit but WWE fans have to accept the fact that he’s a part-timer. Johnson also appeared in SmackDown recently and both the superstars met backstage shaking hands.