John Cena Says Dwayne Johnson ‘Doesn’t Seem Like He Gets a Lot of Time to Himself’

Search sneakers, brands, or styles…SHOPSTYLESNEAKERSMUSICSPORTSPOP CULTUREBETSCOVER STORIESVERZUZWATCHCOMPLEXCONLifeJohn Cena Says Dwayne Johnson 'Doesn't Seem Like He Gets a Lot of Time to Himself'Cena says he values his time with The Rock and doesn’t want to pressure him into making a movie together.ByMark ElibertOctober 12, 2026CommentsCommentSaveShareCommentsComments(Photo by Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)John Cena would love to work alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in a movie, but he doesn't want to put any additional pressure on his longtime friend.

During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Cena opened up about his relationship with Johnson and explained why their conversations rarely revolve around potential Hollywood projects.

When asked whether the two WWE legends have ever discussed starring in a buddy movie together, Cena acknowledged that they've explored business opportunities in the past. However, he explained that their interactions are much more personal these days.

"We talk about life, man," Cena said.

The 17-time WWE world champion explained that whenever he crosses paths with Johnson, he prefers to have meaningful conversations rather than immediately discussing work.

"Like when I see him, it is literally a genuine, it's not the how you doing. It's like, let's take a second and like, hey man, this time you said hi to my wife, I really need you to know that meant a lot," Cena said.

He continued, "And he's very giving with his time and very sincere and very present and I don't want to bug him down with like, and yo, man, I got this pitch."

Although both men successfully transitioned from professional wrestling into Hollywood, Cena acknowledged that their experiences haven't necessarily been identical. He explained that while they share plenty of similarities, their individual journeys have given them different perspectives. More importantly, Cena recognizes how demanding Johnson's schedule can be and doesn't want their time together to feel like another business meeting.

"My perspective is that individual doesn't seem like he gets a lot of time to himself," Cena said. "And 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."

That doesn't mean Cena has ruled out sharing the screen with his former WWE rival.

"If they see Dwayne's body of work and my body of work and they're like, 'They'd be great together.' If that opportunity comes, I'm all in," he explained. "Like, to say I wouldn't want to share the screen with Dwayne Johnson is a bold-faced lie."

Cena also reflected on their complicated history in WWE, where their rivalry became one of the company's biggest attractions. Looking back, he admitted that his approach to their initial feud taught him an important lesson about trying to pressure someone into a situation.

"I learned from the way I operated our first runin in the WWE that to beat my chest and say like to go him into that opportunity. That was so wrong of me," Cena said.

He added, "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.”

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