John Cena has admitted he feels “short-sighted and selfish” for starting a feud with Dwayne Johnson a decade ago when they clashed as WWE superstars.
On Thursday’s episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Cena said he would “like to think” that the couple — both of whom have become huge Hollywood stars, sharing screen credits in this year’s “Fast X” —” It’s always been good, except for one little patch where I really messed up.”
Cena was referring to the moment in 2011 when Johnson, already a movie star, returned to WWE after quitting nearly a decade earlier. At that point, Cena took this as a provocation and an opportunity to “call him out” for coming back, and challenged him to a fight.
The “Trainwreck” actor explained that “selfish.” “The fact that I lived in WWE at the time and had no concept of anyone else’s development or perspective” led to the feud, he said.
“My opinion was that if you love something, you have to be there every day. How hypocritical of me, because I still love WWE and I can’t go on all the time. And I just don’t see it , I was so selfish,” he said.
The Muscle duo competed in two highly publicized WrestleMania matches, including “WrestleMania 29” in April 2013 – both of which drew huge viewership.
Cena reflected, “I wanted a great match because it would be better for the business than I thought. And that’s very short-sighted and selfish.”
“It worked,” he said, “but it worked at the cost of two people who reached out and almost put him in danger.”
Since then, he and Johnson have placed their feud firmly in the past. Cena made a cameo as himself in Johnson’s 2019 film “Fighting With My Family,” while Johnson appears in an uncredited cameo as Hobbs in this summer’s “Fast X,” in which Cena co-stars .
Regarding their feud, Cena said on Thursday that “it was almost at the cost of our friendship, which I have to say is in a really good place now.”
