There are a number of WWE stars who have ended their careers with a transition to Hollywood and acting careers. The most notable that come to mind are Hulk Hogan and, of course, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Now John Cena seems to be joining that group, starring in the newly released film, Bumblebee , despite having called Johnson on doing that years ago.
As reported by Comic Book , the pair came to blows over the Rock’s career change, in the time Johnson briefly returned to the WWE scene. At the time, Cena criticized Johnson for “abandoning his wrestling career in favor of something that wasn’t as dangerous or had a grueling travel schedule.” He also accused him of abandoning his many fans in the arena for fans on the red carpet instead.
With Cena now apparently following suit to a career on the silver screen, he has made an attempt to make amends for those comments. People have pointed out the irony given that particular WWE storyline, and Cena has offered up a response to his critics.
“I’m sorry and I was wrong,” the Bumblebee star replied. “That’s the best thing I can do. I think my gripes were legitimate inside the WWE Universe. The WWE Universe is so dedicated and so fanatical, that they’re giving me the same comments that I once gave Dwayne Johnson. Because every Monday, now moving to Friday, when they turn on the TV, that’s their lives. That’s the thing they follow the most. I’m not there, I’m here promoting Bumblebee.”
#ICYMI – John Cena says he was “foolish, selfish and ignorant” for past comments about The Rock https://t.co/KA3Yy3Ov2X pic.twitter.com/dwoNjTiFzS
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) December 24, 2018
Cena has said he is receiving the exact same criticism he once levied at Johnson for moving on to a different career, and even lamented that many fans felt offended by his repeated absences as he’s busy with filming movies.
“I was like, ‘hey, man, where did you go?’ This is a very tough balancing act, and it’s one when I called out Dwayne, I called him out because of ignorance.”
He also argued that the commitments and physical demands attached to WWE can “hamper one’s career in Hollywood.”
“I called him out as someone who has tunnel vision in WWE and didn’t understand the process that when you make a movie, you are not allowed to do anything else,” Cena explained of his criticism of Johnson.
He further explained that part of the challenge is not getting injured — at least visibly — when filming a movie, making a commitment to WWE a difficult balancing act. A facial injury can completely stop production on a film, according to Cena.
“Once again, I was foolish, selfish, and ignorant, but it made for awesome TV. So at least we have that, and it’s a conversation that I’ve had with Dwayne multiple times, and something that I’m super comfortable about telling any interviewer. I was ignorant, I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”
