WWE found massive success for the drawing power of John Cena vs The Rock when the two iconic figures faced off. Few scenarios will ever present themselves for the face of different eras of WWE to face off in an attraction match. Rock was on one side of that story for his legendary WrestleMania 18 match against Hulk Hogan.
The rivalry with Cena saw Rock as the part-time veteran coming back to face off with the top new star. Both talents are now mainstream celebrities in Hollywood, but WWE was able to make the most of their time interacting in wrestling together. Quite a few moments get lost in the memories of the Cena vs Rock rivalry.
8 Teaming Up Before Their First Match
An overlooked element of The Rock vs John Cena feud was that they teamed together before they ever faced off. Rock wanted a tune-up match before the historic WrestleMania 28 attraction, and WWE played off The Miz getting involved in the Cena/Rock drama in the earlier months.
Survivor Series 2011 featured Rock and Cena defeating the heel duo of R-Truth and Miz as Awesome Truth. The match was so unremarkable and failed to provide a major impact that fans barely talk about it today.
7 WrestleMania 28 Musical Performances
The presentation of John Cena vs The Rock featured both men having live musical performances from famous musicians at WrestleMania 28. Machine Gun Kelly received boos for his performances due to his representation of Cena in front of a crowd rooting against him.
WWE booked Flo Rida to perform a few hit songs before Rock made his way to the ring. Both artists were among the bigger names to appear in such a high-profile role for WWE, but they wanted to do everything to add to the appeal of such an attraction.
6 Cena Apologized For His Comments
The feud between John Cena and The Rock started when Cena started taking aim at Rock in interviews. Rock was called out by Cena for not showing up to WWE and neglecting his first passion, turning his back on pro wrestling for Hollywood. The tension existed for years before Rock returned to make money off it.
Cena has clearly changed his stance since he’s become the latest wrestler to stop working full-time in WWE to become a top actor. Interviews have seen Cena admitting that he was in the wrong and was short-sighted about the bigger picture of how that success helps WWE.
5 Rock Was Upset About Cena Calling Out Him Reading Lines
The Rock and John Cena broke the script multiple times during their rivalry. One of the most heated moments came when Cena finally got the better of Rock when facing off in the middle of the ring. Cena called out Rock for writing his promo lines on his wrist to stay on point.
The fan reaction to Cena calling out Rock shifted, and Rock appeared legitimately upset about it. Fans tried to make out what was going on as Rock went closer to Cena’s face before Cena walked out of the ring with a big smirk realizing he got one over on his rival.
4 Cena Wasn't Warned About Divorce Comments
Another savage unscripted moment to come in the promo wars between John Cena and The Rock featured Cena’s marriage. WWE ran a horrible storyline that featured Eve Torres making out with Cena after she betrayed Zack Ryder.
Rock had a concert segment performing songs with lyrics aimed at Cena in brutal fashion. The reference to Cena having a wife outside of WWE while kissing Eve received huge howls from the fans. Cena reportedly had no idea that was coming, and it stung harder given his marriage was already on the rocks. A divorce came later that year to make it a strange segment to watch back.
3 Match Set Box Office Record
The proof of the success for John Cena vs The Rock was shown in the finances. WWE received record-breaking interest from fans for the first match announced for WrestleMania 28. The total 1.2 million purchases on PPV set a new record for WWE pay-per-view buys.
Critics of WWE booking the part-time legend in a main event were proven wrong here since Rock was on a different level as a mainstream star. WWE would never reach that number again for PPV buy rates and the switch to streaming online ensures it will never be broken.
2 Punk Had Consolation Matches With Both To Write Him Out Of Rematch
WWE did a good job subtly writing CM Punk out of programs with both John Cena and The Rock before their WrestleMania 29 rematch. Many fans were upset about Punk being snubbed following an incredible year, all for a rematch to a match that took place one year prior.
Punk having two matches with Rock, losing the WWE Championship and the rematch, made it ridiculous for him to get another Rock match. WWE had Cena beat Punk in a match with the title shot on the line to add closure to their issues ahead of Cena winning the belt.
1 Vince Canceled Cena's Heel Turn For Feud
The biggest under-the-radar tidbit about John Cena vs The Rock was just how close Cena came to turning heel. Former WWE writers confirmed that Vince McMahon was ready to have Cena go to the bad side to play into the fan love for Rock.
Sheamus was viewed as the replacement for Cena as the top full-time face, but Vince gave up on that before he pulled off the turn. Cena continued to play a polarizing face with loud boos for most of his appearances facing off with Rock.