John Cena is open to finally teaming with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on the big screen, but he does not plan to be the person who tries to sell Johnson on the idea.
The two WWE icons have spent years linked by their wrestling history, their crossover success in Hollywood, and their occasional returns to the same major WWE stories. Yet despite being two of the most recognizable performers to emerge from WWE in the modern era, Cena and Johnson have never headlined a movie together as co-leads.
Speaking on Happy Sad Confused with Josh Horowitz, Cena addressed whether he had ever pitched a potential buddy movie to Johnson. His answer made clear that he sees a major difference between being interested in the opportunity and placing an unwanted business proposition in front of someone he respects.
“Dwayne and I have talked about creative businesses we have together,” Cena said. “When I see him, it is genuine; it’s not a ‘How you doing’; it’s ‘Let’s take a second. Hey man, this time you said hi to my wife. I really need you to know that meant a lot.’ Then we’ll have a conversation about that, and he’s very giving with his time, very sincere, and very present.”
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Cena explained that those personal interactions are precisely why he is unwilling to use them as an opening to make a professional pitch. In his view, Johnson’s time is limited, and a sincere conversation should not automatically become an attempt to advance an idea or seek a favor.
Cena does not want to force the issue
The prospect of a Cena-Johnson vehicle makes immediate sense on paper. Each man has a proven history in action, comedy, family entertainment, and major franchise filmmaking. Both also possess the kind of broad public recognition that would make a joint project a notable event, particularly for audiences who remember their rivalry at the center of two WrestleMania main events.
Still, Cena said he has no intention of approaching Johnson with a pitch deck simply because the two happen to cross paths.
“I don’t want to bug him down with, ‘Yo, I have this pitch,’” Cena said. “My perspective is that the individual doesn’t seem like he gets a lot of time to himself. When he’s giving enough of his time to be present with me, the last thing I want to do is hand him a pitch deck.”
Instead, Cena believes that a film collaboration should come together through the people whose job is to assemble projects and find the right creative fit. If filmmakers see value in joining their respective screen personas, Cena said he would eagerly take the call.
“If folks that make movies, there are a lot of folks out there that are in charge of orchestrating those things, if they see Dwayne’s body of work and my body work, and they’re like, ‘They’d be great together,’ if that opportunity comes, I’m all in,” Cena said.
That is not a hesitant response. Cena plainly stated that he wants the chance to work opposite Johnson, but he is placing the importance of their relationship and Johnson’s autonomy above the desire to make a project happen.
A WWE rivalry that changed over time
Cena and Johnson’s relationship has taken several forms over the years. Their first major on-screen conflict began in the buildup to WrestleMania 28, when Cena and The Rock represented different eras of WWE stardom. Johnson had returned to WWE as a special attraction, while Cena remained the company’s full-time standard-bearer.
Their rivalry was not limited to the ring. It became a defining cultural debate for WWE fans: the active face of the company against the global movie star who had once been its centerpiece. Cena was especially vocal during that period in criticizing Johnson’s departure from a regular WWE schedule while continuing to benefit from the profile built during his wrestling career.
They met at WrestleMania 28, with The Rock defeating Cena in a match promoted as “Once in a Lifetime.” The following year, they wrestled again at WrestleMania 29, where Cena defeated Johnson to win the WWE Championship. The repeat match ensured that their rivalry became one of the signature WrestleMania programs of its generation.
With the benefit of distance and experience, Cena has spoken differently about that period. His comments to Horowitz reflect the perspective he has developed since becoming an established Hollywood performer himself. Cena acknowledged that the approach he took during their initial WWE program was misguided.
“To say I wouldn’t want to share the screen with Dwayne Johnson is a bald-faced lie,” Cena said. “I learned from the way I operated in our first run in WWE that beating my chest and goading him into that opportunity was so wrong of me.”
That admission is central to why Cena is not looking to campaign publicly for a movie alongside Johnson. He said he would love to do it, but does not want to advocate for it in a way that puts pressure on Johnson or attempts to corner him into a decision.
“I would love to do it, but I’m not going to advocate for it when it’s beyond my control, and I don’t want to force his hand into a decision he doesn’t want to make,” Cena said.
Their most recent WWE connection
Their shared WWE history gained a new chapter at Elimination Chamber 2025. Cena aligned with The Rock when he turned on Cody Rhodes, a moment that immediately changed the direction of Cena’s final WWE run and reinforced the lasting connection between Cena and Johnson in WWE storytelling.
The angle gave fans another reminder of how compelling the two figures can be within the same narrative, even when they are not positioned as direct rivals. Cena’s turn on Cody tied one of WWE’s most historically important names to The Rock’s powerful presence, creating a major shift ahead of WrestleMania 41.
The Rock has not appeared on WWE television since that period. His absence has naturally left questions surrounding if and when his latest WWE story will continue, particularly given his association with Cena’s actions at Elimination Chamber 2025. No further development was outlined in Cena’s discussion, which focused on the possibility of a future film partnership rather than a new wrestling program.
Still, Cena’s remarks show that there is no lack of interest on his end in collaborating with Johnson again in some capacity. The obstacle is not creative enthusiasm. It is simply Cena’s belief that the conversation needs to arise in the appropriate setting, led by people developing a genuine project rather than by him pressing the issue during a personal interaction.
A potential pairing with obvious appeal
A Cena and Johnson movie would bring together two performers whose WWE careers already created a built-in audience for their interactions. It would also allow them to approach a partnership from a very different place than their earliest rivalry: not as wrestlers fighting over status and commitment, but as veteran entertainers with long-established careers beyond the ring.
Cena is currently starring in Matchbox, which is available on AppleTV. Johnson remains one of the most recognizable stars in entertainment, and his body of work has repeatedly crossed action, comedy, adventure, and family-oriented genres.
For now, there is no announced project that would unite them as co-leads. Cena is not presenting one, either. But he has removed any doubt about his answer if the right proposal eventually arrives: he would be all in.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.