John Cena is keeping his fingers crossed that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson makes his way back to the WWE.
On Tuesday, the 44-year-old wrestler-turned-actor spoke to Entertainment Tonight during a screening of his movie Vacation Friends and discussed his recent return to wrestling. The Suicide Squad star, who rejoined the WWE this weekend at the 2021 WWE SummerSlam, told the outlet that he’s hoping to see Johnson, 49, return to the sport as well.
“He’s earned the right not to be pressured into that choice. I can say he is a fan of the WWE. He is the most electrifying man in sports entertainment,” Cena explained, giving a nod to one of Johnson’s many titles highlighted on his WWE bio. “So as a fan, do I want to see one of the greatest performers of all time step back in the WWE ring? Yeah. But in no way am I gonna call him and if I’m gonna talk to him about something, it’s not gonna try to be to get him back in the WWE ring.”
He continued, “He needs to come to that conclusion by himself because then, his performance will be ‘The Rock.’ He’ll be the best he can be. So I do hope he comes back, as a fan, and I hope it’s wonderful, and if he chooses not to, he’s earned the right to choose not to.”
Johnson, son of the late professional wrestler Rocky Johnson, got his start in the WWE in 1996, winning 17 championships in the years that followed. In 2004, he left the WWE to pursue acting before returning in 2011 as a part-time performer. His last notable match was against Cena at WrestleMania 29 before he announced his official retirement in 2019.
Meanwhile, Cena made his own comeback at SummerSlam on Saturday. During this weekend’s pay-per-view sporting event, Cena went up against Roman Reigns, who ultimately was victorious in their face-off. Despite losing the match, Cena expressed gratitude to WWE for giving him the opportunity.
“Words cannot describe how appreciative I am that the @WWEUniverse allowed me the opportunity to return and perform,” he tweeted. “Thank you staff, superstars, and most of all FANS for giving me an unforgettable summer at ‘home’ with my ‘family.'”
“The journey takes me away now but I’ll C U soon,” the Suicide Squad star added.
