John Cena and Dwayne The Rock Johnson are two of the biggest superstars that the world of professional wrestling has ever produced. Both of them have served as the face of the business at different times and both of them have inspired a different generation with their hard work, talent, and charisma. The two even shared the stage for several years as a WWE storyline saw them square off against one another for 2 Wrestlemania events. The feud was one of the most epic in the history of wrestling and had fans on both sides fully riled up.
The two superstars share more in common than not as both took over the world of films and TV after attaining mega success in their careers in wrestling. However, The Rock took the leap of switching careers before Cena did and in many people’s opinions, paved the way for wrestlers to transition from professional wrestling to professional acting. Many credit the presence of wrestlers like John Cena and Dave Bautista in the film industry today to Dwayne Johnson’s hard work which helped him establish himself and other wrestlers who came after him as serious actors.
While initially John Cena was among those who criticized The Rock and this served as the backbone of their fictional feud in the WWE, Cena has since admitted that Dwayne is the reason that Wrestlers have so many opportunities today in the world of acting. In a recent interview, Cena has even talked about how he asked Dwayne for advice before entering the film industry and Dwayne’s words of reassurance helped Cena bring his own flair to the big screen. His exact words while talking about the conversation with Dwayne were as follows:
“I was able to ask him, ‘Hey man, do you have any advice?’ He said, ‘They asked you there for a reason dude; just be yourself.’ He, in that one sentence, allowed me to calm down. Allowed me to be myself, which I’m really a goofball. And [the movie Train Wreck] allowed me to do that on screen. Naked. He’s the reason I’m here.”