John Cena is a legendary professional wrestler who has held the World Championship title an impressive 16 times and is widely recognized for carrying the WWE on his back during the company’s PG era. However, since 2017, Cena’s appearances in WWE have been sporadic due to his increasingly busy schedule in Hollywood. That being said, it seems John Cena had heat with The Rock after the latter violated his trust with a promo.
The intense feud between John Cena and The Rock in 2012 was based on real-life tension between the two wrestlers. During an episode of Monday Night RAW on February 27, 2012, The Rock made a highly-anticipated return and was confronted by Cena. The two wrestlers engaged in a war of words, with Cena taking a jab at The Rock for allegedly writing his promo notes on his wrist.
In a recent episode of the A&E documentary series WWE Rivals, Cena shed light on the infamous incident. He revealed that he had been informed by someone just 90 seconds before he headed to the ring that The Rock had notes on his wrist, and that everyone backstage was surprised because it was not allowed.
Cena’s revelation adds further context to the animosity between the two wrestlers during their highly-publicized feud, which ultimately culminated in a WrestleMania showdown that was years in the making.
“Rock doing his thing with me going out to interrupt him. And 90 seconds before my music hit, someone to not be named said, ‘yo, do you see that?’ I said, ‘see what?’ [the other person said] ‘I think Rock has something written on his wrist. Everyone was like, ‘yooo!’ because that’s just not allowed.”
During the 2012 feud between John Cena and The Rock, Cena’s decision to call out The Rock for having notes on his wrist during a live TV promo created a rift between the two wrestlers. Former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz has referred to Cena’s actions as a “violation” of his partner’s trust, and that it created a growing “disconnect” between the two wrestlers.
In the A&E documentary series WWE Rivals, wrestler Natalya also recalled being backstage during this time, and disclosed that there was legitimate backstage tension between Cena and The Rock following the incident.
This tension between the two wrestlers highlights the personal animosity that fueled their highly-publicized feud, which captivated fans and ultimately culminated in a legendary WrestleMania match.
“I was around during that time backstage. I remember there being real tension. You come out of a promo segment and you think everybody is gonna be fine but they’re like no, they can’t even talk to each other. They can’t be in the same room. And I was like, ‘woo!” But it was making for great television.”
John Cena also stated that he would not be who he is without The Rock. Regardless, John Cena and The Rock will forever have mutual respect for each other and that is all that matters.
As the WWE landscape continues to evolve, it is clear that the influence of these iconic figures will be felt for generations to come. What do you think of the impact that The Rock and John Cena have had on WWE and beyond? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!