Brian Gewirtz Recalls The Real-Life Tension Between John Cena And The Rock

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena didn't like each other. Not just in wrestling, where they were rivals for years, but in real life.

Brian Gewirtz, former WWE writer, and current creative partner of Johnson, recently spoke with the "Under The Ropes" podcast about the series of WrestleMania main events that involved Cena and The Rock's heated three-year feud. "That was a journey, to work on that angle for three years with both of them," Gewirtz said, noting that one "never truly know[s] how something is gonna go." 

"Obviously Rock vs. Cena, on paper that's box office, and in reality that's box office," Gewirtz continued. "But the fact of the matter is they weren't on the same page on the beginning, and it was real life animosity between them that obviously has since dissipated, and they're really good friends now." Cena and Johnson not only wrestled two straight WrestleMania main events against each other, but Johnson also hosted WrestleMania 27 the year before, leading to his involvement in Cena's main event match against The Miz.

"It was heated," Gewirtz said of the three-year angle between the two WWE superstars, "I was literally in the middle of them in rooms, trying to be like 'You guys, if you just got to know each other you'd be such great friends.'" 

"It started with an interview that John had done in the UK," Gewirtz said. Johnson had taken exception to a number of interviews Cena did in 2009 in which he commented on The Rock's work ethic. "Whatever the language that he used it rubbed Dwayne the wrong way," Gewirtz said, recalling "some simmering tension from the very beginning."

Gewirtz described the situation as "very touch and go," but couldn't be happier with how the match and angle turned out, the injury Dwayne Johnson suffered aside.