John Cena admits it was hypocritical to start a public feud with fellow WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — when he also left wrestling for a career in Tinseltown.
The 46-year-old “Blockers” star addressed the pair’s tense feud Saturday at a press conference for WWE Fastlane when a reporter questioned him about taking the exact same career step as Johnson, 51.
“If you’ve been following what I’ve tried to do, especially as of late, publicly and personally to Dwayne Johnson, I’ve stated that although I thought I was trying to do what’s best for business, I went about it the wrong way,” Cena said.
“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,” he added. “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.”
Dwayne Johnson attends the 95th Annual Academy Awards on March 12 in Hollywood.Getty Images
Cena continued, “I went about it the wrong way. I violated his trust and I made allegations about his perspective that I knew nothing about. 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.”
In May, the “Vacation Friends 2” actor said that he was “short-sighted and selfish” when it came to his bad blood with Johnson.
John Cena, left, wrestles with Dwayne Johnson, known as The Rock during Wrestlemania in East Rutherford, N.J.AP
Cena decided to return to the WWE for the Fastlane event during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. When asked if Hollywood plans to take him back once an agreement is reached, Cena admitted, “They do. They do.”
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, and wrestler John Cena attend the WrestleMania XXVII press conference at the Hard Rock Cafe, Times Square on March 30, 2011, in New York City.WireImage
“I made it perfectly clear you can’t do both because of the liability insurance,” he 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.”
“I stopped a project in the middle of [the strike], and I cant talk about it because of the strike we’re in,” he added. “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.”
Dwayne Johnson wears Coach Prime sunglasses on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams at Folsom Field.USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Johnson, for his part, left the WWE in 2004. He returned as a part-time performer between 2011 and 2013 and officially retired in 2019. In October, he made a surprise appearance at a “SmackDown” show at Ball Arena in Denver.
Cena on Saturday.WWE
The actor has gone on to star in several projects on the big screen, including the “Jumanji” franchise, Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” “Red Notice” and “Black Adam.”
The Post has contacted reps for Johnson for comment.
