John Cena says he regrets former beef with fellow WWE veteran Dwayne Johnson

– Yes, so what happens with the internet is they will take still photos and provide captions to try to encapsulate what’s going on. This is called creating a meme. And if the caption is suitable for the still photo, the meme becomes heavily circulated, and it becomes part of what’s called meme culture. Hey everybody, I am your Vacation friend, John Cena. Make sure not to miss Vacation Friends streaming live, now on Hulu. The good folks at Esquire have asked me to explain a few things about my life, my journey. Enough with the dilly dally, let’s dive in. (upbeat music) (John clears throat) Okay. So what was the most enjoyable part of playing Peacemaker? Well, it was obviously the chrome helmet that everyone seems to be talking about that, or parading around in my tidy whities. Sometimes we all have to live our truths. Next, can I explain the unexpected John Cena meme? – [Announcer] John Cena! – The controllers of the internet, whom I have never met in person, but I know exist, somehow thought that it would be entertaining for me to interrupt their famous moments with my theme song and a face, which appears like I’m having a difficult bowel movement. That’s what I get from that. And once again, apparently this was entertaining. So who am I to say stop? If people would like their favorite cinematic or television moments to be interrupted by an unexpected John Cena, and it gives them a laugh, well my bowel movement intensity’s happy for that. So thank you, internet. – [Announcer] John Cena! – This Instagram post confused the heck out of the internet. Yes, okay. My Instagram account is images that are posted with no explanation for interpretation of the audience. Please don’t get me wrong, there is a method and value to every single thing that I post on Instagram, but if I tell you it ruins what I’m trying to do. So there is meaning for it to me. And if you’ve got meaning from it, that’s cool. That’s great. But it’s not for me to explain ’cause that’s, we’re trying to curate a different experience. You’ll never figure it out. (John laughs) Your Twitter and Instagram are totally different. Explain. Okay, so Instagram is a service, usually used off of pictures and video, and it’s run by Facebook, and it gives you a whole bunch of options to edit, and use filters, and create stories. Whereas Twitter has genuinely become more a text-based, and information-based, and it’s not a subsidiary of Facebook. It’s kind of this own entity. They’re both social networks. They just belong to different people. That’s the difference. Would you consider playing The Thing in an MCU Fantastic Four movie? I would consider most any thing. I think keeping yourself open to options and different perspectives is good way to go about life. This would simply be a thing that I would consider because I like to keep my perspective open to new things. Could a DC Marvel crossover film ever happen? So in my opinion, I have no way to make any of this stuff happen. I’m a newb in the universe. I’m just trying to go on vacation with my friends. See what I did there? I don’t have that power. I really don’t. The people who have the power is you. If you want it bad enough, they’ll come to a business resolve. What’s the toughest thing about going head to head with the Rock in the ring. Oh, that’s easy. He’s really good. When you are paired with a gifted performer, you have to do your absolute best. The Rock is so electrifying and so good at what he does that when you are in his universe, you need to be at his level. (audience cheering) Do I have any your response to Dave Bautista’s recent comments about not being open to starring alongside you and the Rock in a movie? Yeah, man, I’m super sad about that ’cause Dave Bautista is a unbelievably gifted actor. He’s done some amazing work. But I think when someone makes a statement like that, I think the important thing is to try to look at things from their perspective. Dave has worked so hard on his craft, and he is so dedicated to his characters and really wants to put forth a body of work that gives him his own identity. I 100% understand that. Dave is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and one of the most generous guys you’ll ever meet. I don’t have any beef with Dave. And I really genuinely think that Dave doesn’t have any beef with me. He really just wants to be identified and recognized for his work, and I cannot fault him for that. I applaud him for it. To be brave enough to say something like that kind of allows him to go forth on his own. And I appreciate that. ♪ Your time is up ♪ ♪ My time is now ♪ ♪ You can’t see me ♪ So a fan took your theme song and did an Eminem remix. If you were to do this for real, which Eminem verse would you use? I would simply have him write a verse ’cause he’s one of the most gifted, prolific poets I’ve ever had the chance to listen to. And I think if you gave him this music rather than rehashing something he made for a specific beat, I would like to think he would completely put me to shame by giving it his own Eminem touch. So Em, if you’re down to write some bars, borrow the track. It is a catchy tune. (John humming) I don’t know, think about it, mull it over, get back to me, or don’t get back to me, whatever. You post Jay-Z often on your Instagram. What’s my favorite Jay-Z track? There are too many to try to figure out. Once again, you bring the question back to Instagram, which is something I can’t explain, but you also ask another question. I will say The Black Album in its entirety is my favorite Jay-Z track. I really, I really enjoy that piece of work. You’re in an amazing nightmare couple on Vacation. What’s the most uncomfortable scene to film and why? There certainly is a bit of nerves when you take your clothes off on camera. Like right now, it’s not just me and you talking. There are like five people behind the camera. Another person just snuck in. How are you? It’s good to see you. So it’s not just you and I. This is a very intimate production. Vacation Friends was like four camera operators, their camera assistants, the focus pullers. I think they dragged catering into the actual set. So there’s like 600 people looking at you as the day you were born. And it’s not much to write home about. Once you get the hang of it, and once you’re comfortable, like, okay, my dick and nuts are out. So, that’s that. And then you can be like, oh, so is there still potato salad over at catering? Can I still go over and grab some of that? Well, I think I’ve explained just about everything from Instagram to Vacation Friends, which is a movie you should watch because it’s streaming now on Hulu. I’m in it. Lil Rel’s in it. We have a wonderful cast. We have a wonderful time. It’s about partying on vacation and laughing, which is a lot of the things we need right now. Go to Hulu, watch it, laugh, and explain to me why you enjoyed it. ‘Cause I explained all this for Esquire. So at least do me that favor. (upbeat music)

John Cena says he regrets former beef with fellow WWE veteran Dwayne Johnson

Updated: 11:44 AM EDT May 21, 2023

John Cena admitted he feels “shortsighted and selfish” for having started a feud with Dwayne Johnson a decade ago, when they faced off against one another as major WWE stars.On Thursday’s episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Cena said he “would like to think” the pair – who both have gone on to become huge Hollywood stars, sharing screen credits in this year’s “Fast X” – “always have been good, except for one little patch where I really messed up.”Cena was referring to the time in 2011 when Johnson – already a bankable movie star at the time – returned to WWE after leaving almost a decade earlier. At the time, Cena took it as a provocation and opportunity to “call him out” for coming back, and challenge him to fight.The “Trainwreck” actor explained he “got selfish, and me living WWE at the point and not having any concept of growth or someone else’s perspective” caused him to start the feud.”My view was, if you love something, be there every day. What a hypocrite I am, because I still love WWE and I can’t go all the time. And I just didn’t see that, I was so selfish.”The muscled pair’s feud culminated in two buzzy WrestleMania matches – including “WrestleMania 29″ in April 2013 – both of which drew in high viewership numbers.”I wanted a main event marquee match because it would (be) better (for) what I thought was the business. And that’s so shortsighted and selfish,” Cena reflected.”It worked,” he added, “but it worked at the cost of two people who communicated and almost put it in jeopardy.”In the time since, he and Johnson have put their past beef firmly in the past. Cena cameoed as himself in Johnson’s 2019 film “Fighting with My Family,” while Johnson appears in an uncredited cameo as Hobbs in this summers “Fast X,” which co-stars Cena.Of their feud, Cena said Thursday “it was almost at the cost of our friendship, which I would like to say now is in a really good place.”

John Cena admitted he feels “shortsighted and selfish” for having started a feud with Dwayne Johnson a decade ago, when they faced off against one another as major WWE stars.

On Thursday’s episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Cena said he “would like to think” the pair – who both have gone on to become huge Hollywood stars, sharing screen credits in this year’s “Fast X” – “always have been good, except for one little patch where I really messed up.”

Cena was referring to the time in 2011 when Johnson – already a bankable movie star at the time – returned to WWE after leaving almost a decade earlier. At the time, Cena took it as a provocation and opportunity to “call him out” for coming back, and challenge him to fight.

The “Trainwreck” actor explained he “got selfish, and me living WWE at the point and not having any concept of growth or someone else’s perspective” caused him to start the feud.

“My view was, if you love something, be there every day. What a hypocrite I am, because I still love WWE and I can’t go all the time. And I just didn’t see that, I was so selfish.”

The muscled pair’s feud culminated in two buzzy WrestleMania matches – including “WrestleMania 29” in April 2013 – both of which drew in high viewership numbers.

“I wanted a main event marquee match because it would (be) better (for) what I thought was the business. And that’s so shortsighted and selfish,” Cena reflected.

“It worked,” he added, “but it worked at the cost of two people who communicated and almost put it in jeopardy.”

In the time since, he and Johnson have put their past beef firmly in the past. Cena cameoed as himself in Johnson’s 2019 film “Fighting with My Family,” while Johnson appears in an uncredited cameo as Hobbs in this summers “Fast X,” which co-stars Cena.

Of their feud, Cena said Thursday “it was almost at the cost of our friendship, which I would like to say now is in a really good place.”