10 Biggest Missed Opportunities In The Rock's WWE Career

4. Facing John Cena Twice Was A Mistake

The Rock John Cena
AP

Let's be honest, nobody has a problem with repeat WrestleMania matches if they're promoted correctly. For example, the back-to-back encounters staged by both Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV and XXVI were both terrific, and the same can be said of 'Taker's matches against Triple H from 'Mania XXVII and XXVIII.

With that in mind, after fans had witnessed The Rock tangle with John Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII, there was no real desire to see a second helping the following year, but that's exactly what happened at 'Mania XXIX in 2013. Worse yet, the 'Once In A Lifetime' tagline from the first match cheapened the return leg, and there was a diminished level of interest.

Surely The Rock would have been better served being used for a different match at WrestleMania XXIX? There were several candidates ripe for a collision with the man, including the likes of Triple H and Brock Lesnar. Both those men would face one another in a bout many fans felt didn't live up to the hype, but there's little doubting there would have been interest in seeing The Rock square off with either man. Instead, it came across as lazy that Rocky and Cena were posted opposite one another again.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.