John Cena opens up about his feud with Dwayne Johnson

Before becoming actors, both John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were professional wrestlers for the WWE.

The two were apparently involved in a rivalry between 2012 and 2013, which Cena refers to as a rough “little patch” for them as they’ve largely remained on good terms.

Explaining the feud

“I got selfish and me — living WWE at the point and not having any concept of growth or someone else’s perspective — I took Dwayne’s comments [about the business] as not genuine,” Cena explained on an episode of ‘Happy Sad Confused’.

“My view was if you love something, be there everyday. Like, what a hypocrite I am, because I still love WWE and I can’t go all the time. And I just didn’t see that. I was so selfish.”

Cena seems to have matured from this altercation and expresses regret over not reaching out to Johnson to discuss their issues at the time.

“Instead of going like, ‘Hey man, I’d like to try to do this thing to hook you back in and maybe we can collaborate and really make it big,’ I was just like, ‘Eff this, I’m calling this dude out. This is a moment. You gave me an opening. I’m going to kick the door in,’” he said. “And I was diligent and I understand why he got upset.”

Cena talks Johnson and Dave Bautista

Dave Bautista is also a wrestler-turned-actor and Cena acknowledges both Bautista and Johnson’s efforts to change the perception of wrestlers in the entertainment industry.

“These guys are breaking down barriers, shattering ceilings, and on top of that, just transcending the art form,” Cena said.

“I just got selfish and wanted a main event marquee match because it would better what I thought was the business. That was short-sighted and selfish. It worked!

“But it worked at the cost of two people who communicated and almost put it in jeopardy. There was a moment where there was a lot of bad vibes between us and rightfully so.”