10 Backstage WWE Feuds That Changed Everything
4. John Cena Vs. The Rock
The Rock has become the biggest global star in pro wrestling history, thanks to a charismatic personality that has skyrocketed him to Hollywood fame. For a while, Rock tried to balance his pro wrestling and acting careers, but when WWE let his contract expire, he decided to focus solely on making movies.
Many a petulant wrestling fan resented The Rock for moving on, and John Cena voiced all of their concerns in a 2007 interview, talking about how he respected The Rock but doubting that the former WWE Champion really loved wrestling as much as he said he did. That annoyed The Rock, and did nothing to heal the rift between him and WWE.
In 2011, WWE and The Rock finally came to an arrangement that would see Rock return to the company to host WrestleMania XXVII. That put Rock and Cena directly in each other's sights, and led to some tense confrontations between the men. Though Rock and Cena had buried the hatchet before working together, Cena's interview comments were the impetus for the feud between them - Rock explicitly referenced them on TV, so fans who didn't already know about them were in the loop.
Rock cost Cena WrestleMania's main event, and then the next evening, they made a match for the following year's show of shows. That bout would make WrestleMania XXVIII the most-bought PPV in wrestling history - and their WrestleMania XXIX rematch didn't do too shabbily, either.