Why have John Cena and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson never starred together in any movie yet?

John Cena revealed the real reason why he has never starred in a movie with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

These two stars have a long and storied history in WWE wrestling. Their rivalry began in the early 2010s following the return of The Rock Destroyer, nicknamed "The People's Champion", to the world of professional wrestling in 2011.

The Rock defeated Cena in a head-to-head match in the main event of WrestleMania 27, setting the stage for the two's big match at WrestleMania 28 a year later.

The Rock defeated his rival in that match and won the WWE Championship the following year by defeating CM Punk. However, John Cena, who had won the Royal Rumble match, was waiting for an opportunity to face The Rock again. The two faced each other again at WrestleMania 29; This match ended with Cena's victory and he became the new WWE Champion.

John Cena explained why he has never played alongside The Rock

Both stars are now big names in Hollywood, and John Cena was asked if he would be willing to star in a movie with his former rival.

The 17-time world champion said in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast:

Johnson spends a lot of time with others, is very friendly and honest, and when he talks to someone, he gives them his full attention. I don't want to bother him by saying things like, "Hey dude, I have an idea for a movie."

The Peacemaker star also added that she doesn't think Johnson "has a lot of time for herself." Despite this, Cena remains optimistic and excited that he may one day have the opportunity to work with him.

If such an opportunity arises, I am fully prepared. To say I don't want to star in a movie with Dwayne Johnson would be an outright lie.

John Cena admitted that his selfishness was the reason for the feud with The Rock

In a separate interview, Cena admitted that in the early years of his relationship with The Rock, he acted "selfishly" and wanted to provoke Johnson into facing him in the ring.

I had become selfish. At that point my whole life revolved around WWE and I had no understanding of professional development or other people's perspectives. Because of this, I found Dwayne's comments about the profession disingenuous.

My view was that if you love something, you should be there every day. How hypocritical of me, because I still love WWE, but I can't be there all the time. I did not realize this at the time. I was too selfish.

The last time fans saw these two stars in the same ring was after the Elimination Chamber event in 2025; Where Cena shocked the pro wrestling world by turning his back on Cody Rhodes. This event marked the beginning of his villainous career in his last year in WWE.

Johnson seemed to be the mastermind behind this character change, though the reason for this was never made clear.