John Cena once swore he wouldn't be like the Rock, but now he's on the record about taking advice from the Hollywood star.
A star in his own right, Cena and The Rock didn't always see eye-to-eye. In the years leading up to their battles at WrestleMania, Cena took shots at The Rock, real name Dwayne Johnson. On The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Cena set the stage.
“We're most known for our tremendous WWE feud that set WWE pay-per-view records, and we had a follow up match a year later." Cena said to Fallon. "So we spent a year making fun of each other, and one night beating each other up. Then we're like 'Did we just become best friends? Yep.' We were able to set aside our differences on that night. In the next year, I got more chances at opportunities."
One of those opportunities was the Amy Schumer led-film, Trainwreck. Cena had a breakout performance that helped lead to several comedic roles. However, he'd never auditioned on tape before, which the role required.
The tried and true Johnson stepped up and put Cena's mind at ease.
"He gave me a piece of advice that still rings in my ears like he said it yesterday. I don’t even know if he knows this was such sage advice. He just turned to me as smooth and casual as he does with everything he says, and in such an inspirational tone, as with everything he does, he was like, ‘Just be yourself, man. That’s why they asked you there in the first place. That message -- always be authentically yourself has stuck with me, and created the opportunity I have," said Cena.
Cena would prove so successful in Hollywood, he'd go back on his promise that he'd not leave wrestling full-time for the movie industry. From Daddy's Home to Ferdinand to Transformers franchises, Dr. Dolittle, Suicide Squad and Fast & Furious, Cena is wrestling's latest acting success story.
You can see Cena's comments on The Tonight Show above. Please credit Fightful and link to this story when using this transcript.
