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John Cena and Dwayne Johnson are two marquee names in Holywood who had their roots in the pro wrestling business. WWE pulling the plug on an exhilarating Cena-The Rock rivalry back in their heyday culminated into a master strategy to capture fans’ attention. Fans love to see two giant wrestlers heading off each other to settle a score between them, with the stronger one standing out at the end.

Cena and DJ did the same. Their utter disdain toward each other shined through their fiery, realistic promos that used to catch fans off guard. However, given those days are gone for good now, it turned out, Cena owes a part of his acting career to his $800 million former rival Dwayne Johnson.

The Rock’s invaluable insight landed John Cena in the $2.5 million role

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The Cenation leader worked relentlessly as the face of the company for years before venturing into the acting world. But his meteoric Holywood journey didn’t see a confident start. Like many other newcomers, he went on doubting his potential before a career-deciding audition for his first romantic comedy, Trainwreck. Cena walked off with a whopping $2.5 million by appearing in three scenes in the movie. But the real credit goes to The Rock without whom Cena may not have been able to perform in the audition.

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As an already-established actor, DJ advised Cena to take a chill pill and present himself as authentically as possible in front of the selectors. The old bad blood between them couldn’t get in the way of the unconditional favor The Rock did to his former WWE peer.

Read more: Reeling From His Loss Against Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, John Cena’s 2012 Losing Streak Reflected His Miserable Real-Life Situation With Ex-Wife

During one of his past interviews, Cena noted, ”I was very nervous because I’d never been through that before. And I was able to ask him like hey man, do you have any advice? He said they asked you there for a reason dude just be yourself. And he in that one sentence allowed me to calm down allowed me to be myself which I’m really a goofball and they allowed me to do that on-screen naked, thank you. He’s the reason I’m here.”

Besides thanking DJ for an immense favor, Cena previously revealed his guilt over misunderstanding The Rock as well.

John Cena seems to be genuinely sorry for misinterpreting The Rock’s love for acting

John Cena candidly confessed that he gained a totally new perspective on one of the biggest crossover stars of the company, The Rock. Cena and The Rock’s bout at WrestleMania 28 turned personal when the former called out Johnson for sacrificing his wrestling career in order to invest more in his rousing Holywood call.

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Years passed, and Cena eventually grew out of that state of mind. He, in fact, regretted that attacking statement. During one of his past interviews, The Champ termed himself stupid to think that way. He confessed that he was unable to understand DJ’s perspective back then.

But, after his own transition into Holywood, he came to the realization that prioritizing acting endeavors by no means implies not giving enough importance to a WWE career.

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watch the story: The Undertaker Becomes Grayson Wallers Latest Victim After John Cena And Dwayne Johnson

What’s your take on The Rock giving John Cena a piece of life-changing advice ahead of his audition for Trainwreck? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Shreya Nag

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Shreya Nag is a WWE writer at EssentiallySports, whose love for the sport began when she saw Cody Rhodes win the Royal Rumble in 2023. Since then, she has been an ardent fan of Rhodes and the world of pro wrestling. Shreya's writing combines her passion for the sport with her writing abilities, which she uses to provide readers with a nuanced analysis of WWE superstars.
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Edited by

Sherjeel Malik