John Cena and The Rock will always be synonymous with pro wrestling. Cena and Rock have limited their in-ring careers following successful transitions to Hollywood, and now a controversial name is revealing more on how unfortunate circumstances surround a failed last chance for Cena and The Rock to work together.
Vince Russo and Big Match John never really got the chance to do creative work together. However, the one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion has made several claims over the years about how he was responsible for a few of Rock’s unique identifiers and catchphrases that set him on a path to success early in his career.
The Never-Seen Seventeen and The Final Boss battled each other more than anyone else in the late stages of their careers, while also standing together at times such as WrestleMania 32 against The Wyatt Family. Cena and Rock reignited their rivalry in the main event of WrestleMania 40 in 2024, but earlier this year Cena aligned with The Great One to shockingly turn heel on Cody Rhodes, which led to Cena’s Undisputed Championship victory at WrestleMania 41.
Sources have gone back-and-forth on why The Rock did not work WrestleMania Vegas earlier this year and why his involvement in Cena’s farewell tour has been extremely limited, among other questions and theories surrounding Rock’s ongoing run. In talking with Dr. Chris Featherstone on The Wrestling Outlaws, Russo commented on how Cena got caught up in some of Rock’s behind-the-scenes drama.
“A lot went sour with Rock. A lot went sour with Rock and people not being on the same page, and Cena got caught right smack in the middle of that, and since that happened, they have not been able to recover from that,” Vince Russo said.
Russo dismissed any idea of Cena potentially extending his WWE farewell tour to WrestleMania 42. Among the reasons Cena would decline such an offer, Russo pointed to how Cena likely has had a negative creative experience over the last 9 months, and has a much better gig on-set with The Peacemaker series.
Vince Russo Speaks On John Cena’s WWE Creative Control Amid Farewell Tour
Vince Russo continued discussing John Cena’s farewell tour with Dr. Chris Featherstone on The Wrestling Outlaws, and thinks a WWE contract extension for the 17-time World Champion would not be ideal at this point. Russo then defended The Rock against accusations of bailing on plans with the Cenation leader, and dropped a scoop on Big Match John’s creative control for the retirement run.
“I think that’s where Cena’s head is at. I would just love to know, bro, like, man… if we were a fly on the wall, what really, really, really happened? I don’t think the Rock, the Rock that I knew, I don’t think The Rock would make a commitment to John Cena, and then The Rock would pull out, and bail out, on Cena. I don’t believe that about Dwayne Johnson, not for a minute. If Dwayne Johnson made a commitment, then he made a commitment, and when you watch that WWE Unreal, he was into it. Rock was into it with the [cuts neck] and the whole 9 yards. We saw he was into it. I was also told this, bro… I was also told by an active person on the roster that Cena is calling all his own shots in this run,” Vince Russo said.
He continued:
“I was told that Cena definitely has final say. So, Rock and Cena at one point were on the same page, there’s no question about that, Rock committed to that. Something happened, and when that something happened, and Rock is pulled out of the equation, now they have no idea what to do with John Cena, and what’s John Cena doing? He’s trying to book himself against the best opponents he can. Brock Lesnar’s a good opponent, there’s a history. He’s probably a huge supporter of AJ Styles, probably loves AJ because everybody that knows AJ loves AJ. So, why wouldn’t Cena give AJ a shot? But man, I would just truly love to know because nobody is going to tell me that freakin’ The Rock bailed on John Cena. Nobody’s going to tell me that,” Vince Russo said.
Cena is set to wrestle AJ Styles at WWE Crown Jewel this coming weekend. He’s then booked for RAW at Boston’s TD Garden on November 10, RAW from Madison Square Garden in NYC on November 17, and the 39th annual Survivor Series on November 29 in San Diego. Cena will work his last match on December 13 at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, DC. Gunther is rumored to be Cena’s final opponent, while Dominik Mysterio has also been discussed for a match.
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