John Cena says Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson always wanted to be an actor, blames him for setting the precedent of using wrestling as a stepping stone
Mike M
First he told us injury and movie commitments would mean he was away
from our screens for months – before returning less than a week later.
Then he criticised The Rock for turning his back on a business he
claimed he loved, fuelling a debate that went around the globe and led
to Rocky getting his own back at the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Now, catching up with Cena again, the world’s most prominent wrestler
expands on what he told us and the fallout from it.
He also reveals his frustration with making movies, disappointment at
Ric Flair’s shortened HOF speech and views on this weekend’s huge WWE
Judgment Day PPV.
Hi John. What happened after our last interview? You told fans you’d
be away until after WrestleMania, then days later we all watched you
winning the Royal Rumble.
Well I was shooting a movie, so I wasn’t kidding about that. And I
thought I wouldn’t get medical clearance.
But my rehab was going very well, and very quickly, so I decided to
ask my doctors and specialists if it was possible for me to return for
the Rumble.
They said: 'Yes, your pectoral muscle should hold up but you also run
the risk of tearing it back open and having us re-do the work.'
The four months I’d been out had already been way too long for me to
be away from the ring, so I said: 'To hell with it. Let’s give it a
try.'
Then I called Vince and told him what I just told you and that I’d be
ready whenever he needed me.
He said: 'What do you think about the Rumble?'
I replied: 'Are you kidding me? Let’s go!'
And away we went.
What happened next? Because as far as I can tell only a handful of
people knew you’d be there and it came as a genuine surprise to fans
and your co-workers – which very rarely happens in wrestling.
The whole thing happened so quickly.
When someone is fully rehabilitated and just waiting to return, it’s
as if people know they’re due back.
But I wasn’t even scheduled to make a return for another eight months.
The original talk was coming back for the Survivor Series in November!
And because it happened so quickly, at such short notice, there was
only time for a few people to know.
I took a very late flight and only ended up getting into New York at
about 7pm on the night of the Rumble.
There were probably two people in that ring that knew I was going to
be there.
I did get a lot of joy out of the surprise, as there are a lot of fans
whose main goal is to see what happens before it happens.
I respect that because they are very passionate.
But those moments when you can genuinely surprise everybody are few
and far between in our business – and you have got to enjoy them all!
The crowd in New York even cheered you for a little bit, before they
remembered that they didn’t like you.
And it was cool. For that one brief second there was a genuine
reaction from everyone.
Then reality sets in and it’s back to normal.
The match was great, the energy was fantastic and, while I would have
loved to been out there for hours, it was everything I could ask for
and more.
It was a truly unique experience that I don’t think will ever happen
to me again.
MANIA FEUD ... with Randy Orton
MANIA FEUD ... with Randy Orton
From there you moved onto WrestleMania in a great triple threat match
against Randy Orton and Triple H. Were you disappointed not to go on
last?
WrestleMania was a fantastic event from top to bottom.
I’m never disappointed with my place on the card. I’ve been in that
scenario before. I went on first with Big Show in 2004 and second to
last with JBL in 2005.
Of course in a perfect scenario, you want to close the show at
WrestleMania – but just to be part of it is a huge honour.
Especially this one, because I thought I wouldn’t be there.
It’s interesting that it is Randy and Triple H who’ve traded the title
though. Was that because you were filming the movie 12 Rounds so
couldn’t do house shows?
I do think that someone doing a movie can be WWE champion and do a
very good job at carrying that championship.
It would take a lot of work and you’d lose a little bit of sleep but
it can definitely be done.
My film is now wrapped, we finished last Tuesday.
Movie schedules are usually Monday to Friday but in the next film I
do, I will modify it to allow me to do most of the live events.
There is so much waiting around on movie sets anyway and a lot of the
time I just found myself sitting there thinking about wrestling.
I know how much you love the wrestling business. So was there a part
of you making 12 Rounds that didn’t want to be there?
The day after the Royal Rumble I left for New Orleans and started
doing stunt and weapons training.
We had a great cast and crew and I couldn’t have asked for a better
city.
But towards the end of the movie, I was really getting frustrated.
After being for four months, and coming back for one match, I was
ready to go full time.
But this film schedule we had meant I could only come back for TV and
PPV shows, so I felt the rug had been pulled out from under me.
Only on this week’s Raw, did I really feel that I was properly back.
MAKING MOVIES ... The Rock
MAKING MOVIES ... The Rock
WIREIMAGE
Talking of movies and wrestling, last time we spoke you had a few
things to say about The Rock and at the Hall Of Fame, he made sure to
get a receipt shot on you. Did you know that was coming?
Absolutely. Rock is the ultimate entertainer and I most certainly
deserved it.
But it was good to see him and judging by the reaction he got, I
wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
If Rock wanted to stand out there for two hours and make fun of me, he
could do that.
As long as he’s there.
I just wish he would come by more often.
Were there any cross words from Rock when you caught up backstage?
No, because there was no problem or controversy – and Rock is first
and foremost a gentlemen.
As I said at the time, I think it is great that he has become such a
huge success in the movie business.
He has made some great films and has an enormous contract with Disney.
What I don’t understand is when I hear people in our business, and not
just him, say “I’ve wanted to do this all of my life” - but they’re
not willing to put forth the commitment and the dedication it takes to
be a success here.
And Rock is one of those guys who gave the “I’ve wanted to do this all
of my life” speech, but in actuality he wanted to be an actor.
Now, trust me, that is totally fine with me. It’s OK.
But just don’t say one thing and do another. Because our fans are
extremely loyal and when you do that it p***es them off.
All of us work so hard to make the show as good as it can be.
So it’s hard when people give the impression of 'this is the greatest
gig in the world' and then jump ship to movies.
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Now I have every interviewer asking me when I’m leaving WWE for films.
And the answer is I’m never doing that, because I love wrestling more
than I do movies.
It’s guys like that who set the precedent of using wrestling as a
stepping stone to do films.
But there’s no controversy to any of that – as Rock is a successful
and actor and that’s what he has always wanted to be.
Also at the Hall Of Fame Ric Flair gave an emotional speech the day
before his last ever wrestling match. How did you feel listening?
I actually felt kinda robbed, because I thought he deserved more time.
I wish he was able to tell some stories but sadly he fell victim to
the time constraints of television.
Ric Flair is one of the most entertaining guys to sit down with and by
entertaining I don’t mean he has catchy phrases, but that he’s been
through so much and his experiences are so genuine I could listen to
him talk all day.
It was a fantastic speech, but I know he had a lot more to tell.
He basically thanked everyone he wanted to thank, but had he been
given a lot more time he would have the stories to back that up –
which would have been fun to hear.
WWE Judgment Day is on Sunday. It’s on Sky Box Office over here. Why
should our readers shell out for the show?
Because the card is totally stacked and very rarely at a PPV do you
get two really high calibre one-on-one championship matches.
Anybody who saw WrestleMania will know exactly what they’re in for
with Undertaker v Edge.
And Triple H v Randy Orton in the cage is going to be as brutal as it
is exciting. Triple H is one of the best inside the steel cage.
I’m actually quite interested in seeing The Miz and John Morrison in a
high profile PPV match against Kane and CM Punk.
I’ve never really been a fan of Morrison, but I always thought he had
a lot of potential. I hope he understands the opportunity he’s getting
and steps up to the plate.
And on a personal note, I am very very happy to be back in there with
JBL. We’ve had some brawls in the past and I can’t wait to slug it out
with that loudmouth Texan again.
It should be a good match but on behalf of all your fans I have to ask
– when are you getting your belt back?
Oh man, I certainly have my eyes on the prize.
Triple H and I have only had one real true singles meeting together,
so to have another one would be awesome. And I think everyone enjoys
seeing me and Randy in there.
I’m not looking past JBL by any means but I will certainly have my
sights set on whoever wins that championship match!
rwa2play (Lost mode on)
> THE last time SunSport spoke to John Cena it was very controversial.
<snip>
Does Cena realize this makes him even MORE hated than before?
Memo to John: The WWE fans have pleasant memories of The Rock; you,
not so much.
Commander Hughes
"rwa2play (Lost mode on)" <rwa2...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:dd03eb25-2578-4234...@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
<snip>
Should we pencil in Heel Cena vs Face Rock for next years Wrestlemania then?
James
aka
Commander Hughes
rwa2play (Lost mode on)
<noneofyourfuckingbusin...@all.com> wrote:
> "rwa2play (Lost mode on)" <rwa2p...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:dd03eb25-2578-4234...@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> On May 16, 2:21 pm, Mike M <MichaelML...@vzw.blackberry.net> wrote:
>
> > THE last time SunSport spoke to John Cena it was very controversial.
>
> <snip>
>
> Does Cena realize this makes him even MORE hated than before?
>
> Memo to John: The WWE fans have pleasant memories of The Rock; you,
> not so much.
>
> Should we pencil in Heel Cena vs Face Rock for next years Wrestlemania then?
Not unless Wince is willing to pay Rock "Mayweather money" or more
than that to come back for one last match.
Heywood Jablowmi
"rwa2play (Lost mode on)" <rwa2...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:dd03eb25-2578-4234...@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> <snip>
I do have good memories of Dwayne, I had a chance to chat with him for about
15 mins at the mall here by me when he was just finishing up a photo gig for
the the wwf. He was and probably
still is a very charasmatic person... Sure I'm uptight that he was so FOR
wrestling when he was
a part of it, and was hurt when he turned his back and basically walked
away. I can understand
that he most likely has way more time for himself and he is not killing his
body in the ring anymore and I can understand where he is comming from... No
one wants to end up like Owen or Eddie...
Has the WWE lost something when they lost The Rock... you bet, he helped
with the rebirth of
wrestling, he was tremendous I still go back and watch the tapes. The WWE is
not what it once was, but every now and then I do see a good show, start to
finish and that's cool. One day the
WWE will get the mix just right again and it will have it's time to shine.
They lost a lot of good
workers... And they seem... hestitant to bring up others to fill in the gap.
John Cena is a good solid worker, he'll go far in the WWE if he can keep his
body in one piece.
He has had to much time with the belt, that cause him some heat... But I
dont hate Cena, he will
be one piece of the puzzle when the WWE goes through it's next ERA... bamk
on it.
rwa2play, The Northern Lariat
TBH I do like Cena. He works hard and doesn't want to rest on his
laurels. Just hate the fucking gimmick he's on....he *had* it when he
first appeared @ RAW. Then HHH pissed it all out due to ego.
--
rwa2play, The Northern Lariat
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something he'd probably do when he sees the sales figures for the new Rock
dvd.
Heywood Jablowmi
"rwa2play, The Northern Lariat" <rwa2...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:482e1ad9$0$11644$607e...@cv.net...
I agree Cena was pretty good and had a good thing going when he first
started, now it seems
he has already found his "spot" kinda like Hogan get beat make a comeback
wave the finger ,
two punches to the head drops the bad guy does a legdrop and goes in for
the pin. Cena needs
to get out of the routine and try to do something different every week.
Weather it be some different moves or just a change in his attitude. He is
good and has what it takes to be a top
runner for a long time. He just needs to learn to stay outside the box...
And not get to beefy
that he seems stiff.... Hunter was good before he beefed up. Once he got
the bulk he became
predictable... That killed him in my book... Orton has flexability and
speed which makes him
a top tier player in the bussiness, he's still working on image and
reinvents himself often. Edge
has become lame, he was good but cant even get himself a clean win anymore.
He does the badguy role well but he needs to actually wrestle again to make
it in my book...
Brad
> that he most likely has way more time for himself and he is not killing
> his body in the ring anymore and I can understand where he is comming
> from... No one wants to end up like Owen or Eddie...
Owen is a bad example. That was the result of a "equipment malfunction".
Wrestlers like Eddie Guerroro, Davey Boy Smith and Chris Benoit were results
of pushing their body to failure.
Heywood Jablowmi
"Brad" <no...@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:QtmYj.152051$Cj7.150725@pd7urf2no...
Reguardless it pretty much represents one of the few reasons why he
eagerly gave up wrestling to acting.
He's not on the road 300 plus days a year, his chances of injury or death
are far greater acting
than wrestling. He could have just as easily got killed in a "equipment
failure" as he could have
ended up like Droz... enough said.
The fact is that yes I do have fond matches that "Rocky" had been in... he
was an important
part of what made the WWE what it was at one time, but I do understand why
he chooses
not to come back..