Details on John Cena's negative reaction after being booked to lose against WWE legend
Former WWE referee Mike Chioda says John Cena was legitimately annoyed that he was booked to lose against The Rock at WrestleMania 28 in 2012.
The long-awaited match, billed as “Once in a Lifetime,” was advertised a year in advance by WWE. Chioda refereed the 30-minute encounter, which ended with The Rock pinning Cena after a Rock Bottom.
Speaking on the Such Good Shoot podcast, Chioda revealed that Cena was “sourpussed” about the match outcome.
“I had that first one, and I was wondering who the f*** was gonna go over [win],” Chioda said. “Cena had been running the road for 10 years. Rock’s been in f***ing Hollywood, and then all of a sudden it’s like, ‘John, you’ve gotta do the job [lose].’ It was in Miami. I said, ‘Damn, I can’t believe they gave it to The Rock.’ I love The Rock, don’t get me wrong. I felt bad for Cena because I knew he was sourpussed about it. He busted his a** for a decade.”
The following year, John Cena won a rematch against The Rock at WrestleMania 29. The former rivals also appeared in a segment together at WrestleMania 32 when Cena helped The Rock fight off The Wyatt Family.
Mike Chioda on WWE booking another John Cena vs. The Rock match
Following The Rock’s WrestleMania 28 win, it was clear to many WWE fans that John Cena was going to win the rematch at WrestleMania 29.
Mike Chioda also commented on WWE’s underwhelming decision to book another Cena vs. Rock match after their “Once in a Lifetime” encounter.
“Then they set the second one up and of course you know Cena’s gonna get it back,” Chioda added. “That was kind of like [sigh], you know. Believe me, Rock was a star but he wasn’t as big of a star then as he is now. And Rock’s twice the size [now]… he’s f***ing jacked!”
John Cena recently spoke about The Rock possibly returning to WWE in an interview with ET Online. The 16-time WWE World Champion said he wants to see The Rock make an in-ring comeback, but he believes only the man himself can make that decision.
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