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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”

Published 05/17/2023, 12:00 PM EDT

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John Cena entered the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise with F9, which was released in 2021. Despite being a crowd favorite in his wrestling career, the 46-year-old played a villainous role in the film. He portrayed Jakob Toretto, the estranged brother of Dominik and Mia Toretto. Cena, however, wasn’t the only WWE star to feature in the movie. Dwayne Johnson played an integral part in the earlier films as he essayed the role of federal agent Luke Hobbs. He donned an avatar where capturing Dominic and his gang members was his primary motive.

The reel heat soon turned real as the Hobbs actor and Dominik, played by 55-year-old Vin Diesel, took part in a public feud. In 2021, Johnson accused his senior colleague of manipulation. However, The Rock’s WWE colleague dismissed the claim, who stated otherwise.

John Cena reveals his working relationship with Vin Diesel

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Fast X will hit the screens in theaters in the USA on May 19. The film already premiered at the Colosseum monument in Rome on May 12. Cena, who played the antagonist will play the role of a “cool uncle” in an important role.

In a recent chat with Josh Horowitz, the 16-time World Champion discussed his relationship with the Fast and Furious franchise leader.

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“I consider him a great friend and reach out to each other with no agenda, with no quid pro quo, no ‘What can I do for you?’. Like we really check in on each other and that’s what real friends do. Like man, he’s such a nice guy (laughs),” Cena said. This comes as a solid rejection of Dwayne Johnson’s claim, which the 51-year-old actor made two years ago.

Meanwhile, Cena, who handed over the villain’s role to Jason Momoa in Fast X, praised the actor for stealing the show. Unlike Johnson, Cena has so far kept things cordial with his co-star. But what prompted the $800 million wrestler-turned-actor to level such accusations on Diesel?

Dwayne Johnson disapproved of Diesel’s Instagram post

After acting in four Fast and Furious movies (parts five to eight), Johnson had a fallout with Diesel. While he did not act in F9, the 51-year-old actor ventured to do a spinoff with Jason Statham in Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw. Months after the ninth film hit the screens, Diesel took to Instagram to write a post dedicated to his “little brother” Dwayne. It urged ‘The People’s Champ’ to come back and reprise his role in the tenth movie- Fast X.

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However, Johnson took offense at Diesel mentioning the latter’s kids and Paul Walker’s death. Walker tragically passed away in 2013. Diesel, who affectionately called the deceased star Pablo, mentioned that he had made a promise to him and Johnson’s service was urgent to fulfill it.

Speaking to CNN, Johnson said Diesel’s post surprised him and called it out as an “example of his manipulation”.

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Meanwhile, the two seemed to have buried the hatchet as Johnson is reported to have made an appearance in Fast X, with reports suggesting bigger screen time for him in the next installment. If that happens, it’ll see two WWE generational superstars sharing the screen for the first time. What do you make of Cena’s comments about the Hollywood star? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch This Story: Deep Dive Into Hollywood Star and WWE Legend John Cena’s Lifestyle

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Written by:

Sudipto Maity

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Sudipto is a WWE writer at Essentially Sports. He holds a PG degree in Mass Communication. Being an experienced journalist, Sudipto has interviewed WWE Superstars Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus and hopes to add some more names to that list.
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Edited by:

Amal Joyce