Recently, social networks and the film industry have been abuzz with rumors that Dwayne âThe Rockâ Johnson, Hollywoodâs top action star, has a special clause in his contract â he must always be the winner in every fight scene. This clause, according to many sources, is quite similar to the ârule of powerâ that Vin Diesel once applied in the Fast & Furious series.
If this rumor is true, it partly explains why in most of the movies featuring The Rock, his character is always built as an âinvincible warriorâ â strong, courageous and almost never defeated. From Hobbs & Shaw, Jumanji, to Black Adam, viewers always see The Rock appearing with a muscular, indomitable image that is difficult for anyone to defeat.

An industry expert revealed to the press: âThe Rock has too much influence in the projects he participates in. Studios often indulge his requests, because the name âThe Rockâ is synonymous with box office revenue.â Therefore, his request to âalways winâ in action scenes may not only come from his ego, but also from his image strategy â maintaining the âunbreakable heroâ symbol that he has worked hard to build for more than a decade.
However, that is what makes many audiences start to feel… bored. Some comments on the Reddit forum said that The Rockâs image is gradually becoming monotonous, lacking depth and real emotions. âHe always wins, is always right, is always strong â there is no weakness or failure for viewers to sympathize with,â a fan wrote.
Meanwhile, John Cena â who was once considered The Rockâs ânatural rivalâ in both WWE and cinema â chose a completely different direction. In the series The Peacemaker 2, Cena portrays a âhalf-crying, half-laughingâ superhero: cool, clumsy, even a bit pitiful. He is not afraid to make himself ugly, not afraid to be defeated or become silly on screen. And that is what makes the character Peacemaker become real, close and loved by the audience.

Many critics praised John Cena for daring to âbreak the moldâ of a muscular wrestler to become an actor with depth. An American newspaper commented: âWhile The Rock still tries to maintain the image of a perfect superhero, John Cena is proving that true strength comes from daring to show weakness.â
Some people even think that this difference is making Cena gradually surpass The Rock in terms of closeness to young audiences. While The Rock maintains a âserious, perfectâ image, Cena brings âordinary, sympatheticâ energy. Viewers see in him failure, pain, and even humor â elements that The Rock rarely reveals.

Some Hollywood directors who have worked with both stars revealed that Cena is âmuch easier to work withâ, willing to retake dozens of times to get the most natural scene, while The Rock often wants to protect his personal image, not wanting to appear weak or defeated.
This has caused the online community to split into two factions: will âalways winningâ in the movie make The Rock lose his true appeal? One side believes that he has the right to control his image, because that is the brand he built. But the other side believes that if he is always undefeated, The Rockâs character will become soulless â just a muscle symbol, not a human being.
Although there is no official evidence of the âalways winningâ clause, this rumor still makes The Rockâs name hotter than ever. Meanwhile, John Cena is quietly scoring points thanks to his versatility and natural acting.
Two different paths, two opposite artistic philosophies â but both The Rock and John Cena are proving one thing: true power in cinema is not just in muscles, but in the way it touches the audience’s emotions.
