Once the “Face That Runs the Place,” WWE appearances have become infrequent for John Cena due to his age, at 46 years old, but most importantly, his Hollywood career. It’s almost impossible to not find Cena in a major action movie franchise these days, or a film that showcases his comedic chops.
Once upon a time, however, Cena was anti-Hollywood, or at least, that’s how it seemed. He called out The Rock’s commitment to the movie life during their WrestleMania feud from 2011-13 and attacked him for his fading, almost nonexistent WWE role. It seemed more of a shoot than a work with genuine tension between them.
A decade later, Cena has a new outlook, of course, given his success in The Rock’s footsteps. In an interview with 92NY, ahead of his co-starring role in the latest Fast and Furious movie, Cena discussed his perspective where he “really messed up” about WWE stars changing their perception by succeeding in Hollywood (h/t Fightful for transcription).
“I would like to think, in my perspective, that we always have been good, except for one little patch where I really messed up. I got selfish and me, living WWE at that point, did not have any concept of growth or someone else’s perspective. I took Dwayne’s comments as not genuine, and my view was, if you love something, then be there every day. What a hypocrite I am. Because I still love WWE, and I can’t go all the time. I just didn’t see that. I was so selfish. I had his number and we could have talked about it. Instead of going, ‘Hey, man, I’d like to try to do this thing to hook you back in and maybe we can collaborate, and really make it big,’ I was like, ‘F this,’ and was calling this dude out. This is a moment, he gave me an opening, and I’m gonna kick the door open. I was diligent, and I understand why he got upset because he’s changing the perception of the industry. Him, Dave Bautista, they made it okay to be in WWE. WWE isn’t that carnival performer stereotype. Pro wrestlers have had that carny stereotype for so long, and these guys are breaking down barriers and shattering ceilings, and on top of that, just transcending the art form, and I just got selfish and wanted a main-event marquee match because it would better what I thought was the business. That’s so short-sighted and selfish,” Cena said.
Cena realizes the impact he and others can make on other WWE talent, including someone like Seth Rollins, for example, who apparently joined a Marvel Studios movie. Others will inevitably follow as WWE becomes more mainstream, opening new opportunities for the wrestlers of the present and future.