"Did we just become best friends?" – When John Cena's real-life grudge with WWE legend finally ended
While John Cena has battled with dozens of on-screen WWE rivals, he has also made some real-life enemies outside the ring throughout his career.
One of the 16-time world champion's most notable off-screen feuds came over a decade ago when he made disparaging remarks about The Rock. In a 2008 interview with The Sun, he famously said the WWE legend's apparent lack of passion for wrestling "p****d" him off.
The iconic stars faced each other in back-to-back WrestleMania main events in 2012 and 2013. Six years after the rivalry ended, Cena revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that he and The Rock became friends in real life:
"We kinda talked a lot of trash about each other. We also had a follow-up match a year later, 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." [3:16 – 3:31]
The Rock defeated Cena in their first match against each other at WrestleMania 28. A year later, the latter secured the win in a rematch at WrestleMania 29 to capture the WWE Championship.
John Cena received acting advice from The Rock
After stepping away from wrestling in 2003, The Rock became one of the most successful actors in the world. He also paved the way for the likes of John Cena to transition from WWE to Hollywood when the time was right.
History.
#SmackDown #WrestleMania @JohnCena @TheRock https://t.co/wGe5ghjOjt
Cena picked The Great One's brain about his acting career shortly after auditioning for the 2015 movie Trainwreck:
"He gave me a piece of advice that still rings in my ears like he said it yesterday. I don't even know if he knows this was such sage advice. He just turned to me as smooth and casual as he always does with everything he says, and in such an inspirational tone, as with everything he does, he was like, 'Just be yourself, man. That's why they asked you there in the first place.'" [4:04 – 4:24]
Cena and The Rock are widely regarded as two of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time. In 2016, they joined forces at WrestleMania 32 to fight off an in-ring attack from The Wyatt Family.
Did you enjoy the John Cena vs. The Rock rivalry in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.