10 WWE colleagues who had real-life heat but made up
While WWE’s storylines are based around Superstars’ dislike of each other, it is not uncommon for two people within the company to have genuine animosity outside of the ring.
CM Punk, for example, has been very outspoken about his dealings with WWE’s higher-ups, notably Triple H and Vince McMahon, and he is yet to reconcile with either man since their infamous backstage conversation before the post-Royal Rumble 2014 episode of RAW.
That is just one example of a real-life issue within WWE that, at least to the public’s knowledge, has not been resolved, but did you know that plenty of Superstars have had legitimate heat with a WWE colleague before going on to make up with them a few years down the line?
In this article, let’s take a look at 10 times that WWE Superstars eventually overcame their issues with each other.
#10 The Rock and John Cena
Arguably the most famous reconciliation between WWE rivals came when The Rock and John Cena “became best friends” following their match at WrestleMania 28.
In 2008, Cena planted the seeds for The Rock’s return when he accused the former WWE Champion of not loving WWE in the same way that he and the company’s other full-time performers do.
“Just don’t f*** me around and tell me that you love this [WWE] when you are just doing this to do something else [movies]. That’s the only thing that gets me p****d off.”
Four years later, The Rock defeated Cena in the first of two main-event matches at WrestleMania. The following year, Cena picked up the victory, winning the WWE Championship in the process, and the two men went on to join forces in a segment at WrestleMania 32 to fight off The Wyatt Family.
Both men have confirmed that their animosity was real when their on-screen feud started, and this quote from Cena on Jimmy Fallon gives an insight into the exact moment when their real-life rivalry ended.
“So we spent a year making fun of each other, and then one night [WrestleMania 28] beating each other up. Then we’re like, ‘Did we just become best friends? Yep.’ So basically, we were able to set aside our differences on that night.”
Cena has repeatedly said in interviews that he was “stupid” for questioning The Rock’s love for WWE, as he now combines his limited WWE schedule with a busy acting career in the same way that his former on-screen rival did in 2008.