DC Star John Cena Praises Marvel Star Dave Bautista
WWE legend and Peacemaker star John Cena took to social media today to celebrate 20 years since the start of Dave Bautista's wrestling career. The two have both gone on to become huge crossover stars, appearing in movies and TV shows outside of the world of wrestling, with Cena joining the DC Films stable and Bautista taking a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, among other things. Some fans had tried to assume some bad blood between the actors in 2019, when Bautista said he would be disinclined to appear in projects with Cena, Dwayne Johnson, or other former WWE stars. Cena wasn't having any of it, and said he understood the feeling.
Bautista's comments were meant more as a commentary on the kind of roles he is interested in pursuing. At the time, he drew a line between "movie stars" like Johnson, and "an actor," which he aspired to be.
"20yrs ago, Dave Bautista began turning skeptics into believers," Cena wrote on Twitter. "Crafting a remarkable legacy in WWE, and continues to amaze with his incredible work as an actor. He's outspoken, honest, and one of the nicest, most giving people I've ever met. Happy 20 years from an OWV classmate. Cheers!"
As you might expect, one of the first responses was one of approval from The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn.
Now that they're both in the Fast & Furious franchise, Cena was asked about the possibility of working with Johnson during a recent interview with ComicBook.
"Well, I am definitely not high in the decision-making ladder in that process, so I'm a dreamer just like you," Cena said. "I would say that the things that I know are it was very captivating entertainment for over two years in WWE programming and usually what's entertaining is entertaining. I'd like to see it. Well, like I said, I'm pretty low on the decision-making ladder in that."
Cena is set to begin work soon on the second season of Peacemaker, which Gunn will write and direct. Gunn just wrapped production on Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3, which will include Bautista in its ensemble. You can see The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker's first season on HBO Max, and the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films on Disney+.