Why John Cena Apologised To The Rock At WWE SmackDown

John Cena has revealed that he personally apologised to The Rock when the duo recently bumped into each other at WWE SmackDown, claiming he wanted to do so face-to-face, having previously shared similar sentiments publically.

The 16-time World Champion stated as much during a recent appearance on WWE's The Bump. Cena stated that when they initiallystarted working together in WWE, their "first foray into competing against each other was a professional mistake on my part." Nonetheless, he considers The Rock a friend, and was glad to see him at SmackDown.

Said Cena (h/t Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online):

"In between the times we've spent with each other, I've openly come to a realization that the first foray into us competing against each other probably was a professional mistake on my part. I've been very apologetic and open with my apology that the way I conducted business was in the realm of trying to do good business and we did great business. It was really nice to see a friend who's actually generous with his time. We actually conversed for a little bit and that's the first time we'd seen each other since publicly apologizing for that and I just wanted to make sure he heard it from me face to face as well and it was really nice to see a friend."

The Rock made a surprise WWE appearance on the 15 September episode of SmackDown, confronting Austin Theory in an in-ring segment with Pat McAfee. It was the first time he had been on WWE television since October 2019.

Cena, meanwhile, has been increasingly inactive in WWE in recent months, having dialled back on his WWE schedule over the years. He and LA Knight will team against The Bloodline's Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa at Fastlane 2023 this Saturday (7 October).