For years, two of the biggest names in professional wrestling were Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena. The two were both known for their good looks and their absolute domination in the ring. Since then, both men have taken the leap from professional wrestling to professional acting. Johnson began appearing in movies and television shows in the late 1990s. Cena made his Hollywood debut in the early 2000s.
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However, it doesn’t seem like John Cena ever envisioned a Hollywood career for himself. The Peacemaker star even criticized Johnson for jumping off the wrestling ship and swimming to the acting one.
Recently, at a press conference, Cena was asked about his hypocrisy in attacking Johnson, when he himself is now a major Hollywood star. Cena has most notably starred in several DC superhero movies and television shows as Peacemaker.
Cena was quick to issue an apology, calling his actions “short-sighted and selfish.”
“If you’ve been following what I’ve tried to do, especially as of late, publicly and personally to Dwayne Johnson, I’ve stated that although I thought I was trying to do what’s best for business. I went about it the wrong way. I violated his trust and I made allegations about his perspective that I knew nothing about. And deep down, I was a fan. I wanted The Rock back [in WWE]. I wanted to do anything to get The Rock back, but I did it the wrong way.
I didn’t do it the respectful way, so I had to eat a little bit of crow. I had to say ‘I’m sorry and I was wrong,’ because I am sorry and I was wrong, and that’s a very humbling experience. Dwayne is a hell of a guy… I became who I despised. I see that perspective and I understand it. It was a great learning experience from my mistake with feuding with The Rock.”
Careers on Pause
In recent years, both Cena and Johnson have seen their careers skyrocket. In 2019 and 2020, Johnson was even named Hollywood’s highest-paid actor, something he also achieved in 2016.
Unfortunately, both actors are not working in Hollywood at the moment. Back in July, the Screen Actors Guild announced that its more than 160,000 members were going on strike. That includes Johnson and Cena.
Cena has rejoined WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) as SAG tries to negotiate a new contract for its actors. Johnson, on the other hand, has been working on bringing money to Hawaii after the devastating Maui fires. He has also donated a lot of money to a non-profit that will help out-of-work actors pay their bills.
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After the strike ends, Johnson will head back to Disney, where he is working on Disney’s live-action remake, Moana. He will also work on a sequel to his hit Disney movie, Jungle Cruise. The sequel was confirmed just weeks after the movie hit theaters in 2021. Before the strike, Johnson provided his voice for Maui — the demigod from Moana — in Disney’s new short, Once Upon a Studio.
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Cena has also confirmed that once the strike ends, he will go back to the movie business and leave WWE. He told reporters that he cannot act and wrestle at the same time because it is a liability issue.
The SAG Strike Continues On
When the members of the Screen Actors Guild went on strike in July, they were not the only ones on the picket lines. SAG joined the WGA, whose members had been on strike since May.
Just a few weeks ago, the AMPTP — Association of Motion Picture and Theater Producers — announced that it had come to a new contract agreement with the WGA. With something so great being achieved, many were hopeful that SAG and the AMPTP would be able to come to an agreement quickly.
That is not the case. SAG leaders and the AMPTP negotiating team — which includes Disney CEO Bob Iger — have met several times over the past week, but seem further apart than ever.
SAG has accused the AMPTP of using “bully tactics” to try to get the actors to agree to a contract that is not beneficial for them. It is similar to accusations made against the AMPTP when they were negotiating with the WGA.
Talks between SAG and the AMPTP have been suspended, with no idea given as to when they will resume.