8 Ways The Rock's WWE Return Ruined John Cena
The Great One's monumental return came at the expense of The Cenation Leader's popularity.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson shockingly returned to WWE in 2011 in order to work a two-year program with top star, John Cena. Before Rock made his comeback, the main event of that year's WrestleMania was scheduled to be John Cena against The Miz for the WWE Championship. That match didn't feel like a main event, so when The Rock made his monumental return on the February 14th RAW to reveal himself as the Guest Host of WrestleMania, it became clear that WWE had a plan to still make WrestleMania feel like an epic show. Over the next few weeks, Rock and Cena would trade insults and even trade finishers, culminating in an-in ring confrontation where they set up a match for the next year's WrestleMania in Miami, Florida. It was the first time WWE had announced a Mania main event 365 days before the show. Rock would go on to beat Cena at that show, and then in 2013, with Cena getting his win back at MetLife Stadium at WrestleMania 29. While The Rock's return brought a lot of eyeballs to WWE, I'd argue that it temporarily ruined Cena's career. Before his phenomenal US Open Challenge series in 2015, the truth is that Cena had been struggling to find his niche for a long time. He'd won the WWE Title from The Rock in 2013, then he feuded with guys like Ryback and Alberto Del Rio, before entering into a thunderously boring program with Randy Orton and followed that up with an underwhelming rivalry with Bray Wyatt. In my mind it was clear that the reason for the subpar Cena was down to his drawn-out feud with The Great One. Don't believe me? Observe...