When John Cena Regretted His Criticism of 'The Rock' Joining Hollywood: "That Was Just Ignorant"

WWE sensation John Cena recalled the time he slammed Black Adam actor, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for leaving the WWE platform and pursuing his career in acting, reports Koimoi. Cena eventually came around after getting into Hollywood himself. He called his previous comments about Johnson "stupid." 

When Johnson had first started pursuing his career in film, The Suicide Squad 2 actor had reportedly called Johnson out for feigning ignorance to the very genesis of his path to fame and success, and this resulted in a rather heated feud. In a 2017 interview with Sports Illustrated, Cena emphasized the gravity of what Johnson had done and seemed deeply remorseful of his insensitive statements said out of anger. "It was stupid of me. It really was," said Cena.

Cena went on to mention how he perceived The Rock's decision to retire from the forum at the time. "For me to not be able to see Dwayne's vision on what he wanted to do personally, and how his personal success could affect a growing global brand, was just ignorant on my part," he explained.

The heated spat began back in 2016 when Cena accused Johnson of loving the entertainment industry far more than he did wrestling and claimed that Johnson has turned a blind eye to his alma mater since achieving much glory and success in show biz. Cena had, at the time, acknowledged the former wrestler's success as an actor saying, "He's a very good actor, he's very successful, he's done very well for himself." Cena even claimed to understand the reason behind Johnson not making a return into the ring. However, he had insisted that the Baywatch actor stop saying he loves wrestling. "Just don't f*** me around and tell me that you love [wrestling] when you're just doing it to do something else," Cena said.

Cena, however, later took back his words and mentioned the bountiful opportunities given to him by Johnson. The Vacation Friends actor expressed his deep gratitude as it truly propelled him further in his career as a professional wrestler. He said, "His success has given me many opportunities that I'm extremely grateful for, and I certainly wouldn't have had them without him." After a heartfelt apology was exchanged, the two have seemingly put the past behind them and have continued their brotherly friendship through the years. Johnson even claimed that Cena is presently one of his best friends.

John Cena certainly followed Johnson's footsteps and went on to pursue a career in acting. From snagging a leading role in the sequel of The Suicide Squad as the hilarious and dashing hunk Peacemaker, to appearing alongside the dazzling and highly gifted cast of Fast and Furious, Cena's acting career is certainly taking off. He has shown dedication in the roles he has taken up and fans always returned to his movies for the passion and consistancy he maintains.