“Grateful for That”: Amidst Return in Fast Franchise, Fans Pay Their Flowers to Dwayne Johnson as Resurfaced Clip Encapsulates His WWE Rivalry With Co-Star John Cena

Fresh from his XFL success, Dwayne Johnson is riding a new buzz as reports have confirmed his return in the latest Fast and Furious movie. The Brahma Bull has a small part in Fast X, which is scheduled to release in the US on May 19. He will not only join the cast of the $6 billion franchise but will also work in the same Hollywood project for the first time with fellow WWE superstar John Cena.

Meanwhile, fans paid their tributes to the two pro-wrestling legends after a resurfaced clip showed their epic rivalry.

Fans hail Dwayne Johnson as backstage video with John Cena resurfaces

No two superstars share as many similarities as The People’s Champion and The Doctor of Thugonomics. For a start, they are both pro wrestlers who have worked in the WWE. Both Johnson and Cena have numerous memorable promos, bearing testimony to their superior mic skills. They also left for Hollywood at the prime of their careers. Cena’s golden run in WWE started after Johnson had already jumped ship to Hollywood.

However, in 2011, Johnson came back to WWE and addressed Cena, answering the latter’s taunts. Prior to that the 16x world champion had questioned Johnson’s priorities, attacking the 51-year-old’s legendary legacy. What followed was two back-to-back WrestleMania matches, resulting in one win each for the two.

The video is from their WrestleMania 29 match, where Cena defeated The Rock to win the WWE Championship. After the match, both wrestlers put on a class act as they put aside their differences to acknowledge one another.

Seeing their backstage interaction following the match, fans shared their thoughts on Twitter.

This user said they were grateful for the two icons.

Interestingly, both Cena and Johnson have the same zodiac sign- Taurus. The information didn’t slip this fan’s notice.

Johnson, however, has limited his WWE appearance over the years, while Cena is still having the best of both worlds. On the other hand, The People’s Champ’s return to the franchise might signal the end of another saga.

What does Dwayne Johnson’s return to the Fast franchise mean for Vin Diesel?

In late 2021, Johnson dealt a blow to Fast and Furious fans as he called out Vin Diesel for manipulation. While Johnson’s Luke Hobbs is a powerful character in the franchise, it is Diesel’s Dominik Toretto who forms the core around which the others revolve.

Johnson had also made it clear that he would not be returning to the franchise in the future, with Fast 8 being his last appearance. However, the $800 million Hollywood star has returned and according to reports, is set to have a longer screen time in the next installment.

Read More: Two Years After Dwayne Johnson Called Out Vin Diesel for Manipulation, John Cena Rebuffs Claim on 55-Year-Old Actor: “…That’s What Real Friends Do”

While Johnson’s return could be propelled by the story arc- it is Agent Hobbs who executes Hernan Reyes, Dante’s father. Dante, played by Jason Mamoa, is the villain in the 10th installment, taking over the mantle from John Cena. Cena’s Jakob Toretto character was the bad guy in the 9th film. However, the estranged brother of Dom and Mia plays a cool uncle in Fast X.

On the other hand, Johnson’s return is a win for Diesel, who had requested the 51-year-old star to join back the franchise, shortly after F9’s release in 2021.

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